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IOWA COLONELS AND EEGIMENTS: 



BEING A 



» I t 



HISTORY OF IOWA REGIMENTS 



WAR OF THE REBELLION; 



ANB CONTAINING A 



DESCRIPTION OF THE BATTLES 



IN WHICH THEY HAVE FOUGHT. 



BY 
, CAPTAIN A. A. STUART, 

SEVENTEENTH IOWA INFANTRY. 




DES MOINES, IOWA: 

MILLS & COMPANY, 46 COURT AVENUE, 
1865. 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1S65, by 
MILLS & COMPANY, 

in the Clerk's Office of the District Covirt of the United States for the District 
of Iowa. 



MILLS <fe COMPANY 
PEINTEK3. 






I DEDICATE THIS BOOK 
TOTHE COMMON SOLDIERS OF IOWA, 

WHO BY THEIR CONSTANCY AND BE A VERY, 
AND 

WITHOUT DUE HONOR AND JUST COMPENSATION, 

HAVE MADE THE MILITARY RECORD OF THE STATE WHAT IT IS. 

THEY HAVE MADE AND SUSTAINED THE WORTHY MEN, 

WHOSE SKETCHES ARE HEREIN GIVEN; 

AND HUNDREDS OP THEM, 

HAVE DESERVED THE HIGHEST MILITARY POSITIONS 

WITHIN THE GIFT OF OUR STATE EXECUTIVE. 

THEY HAVE BORNE THE BURDEN OF THE WAR, 

AND ARE TENANTS-IN-COMMON 

OF THE state's MILITARY RENOWN; 

AND LET IT BE THEIR PROUD RECOLLECTION THAT, THOUGH THEIR 

NAMES MAY NEVER APPEAR IN PRINT, 

THEY DID THEIR FULL SHARE IN SAVING THE COUNTRY 

FROM RUIN AND SHAME. 

THE AUTHOR. 



PREFACE 



lu preparing this book for the press, my object has been, first to learn the 
truth, and second, to present it honestly and impartially ; but, in justice to my- 
self I should state that, in my efforts to obtain needed information, I have been 
in some instances, unsuccessful. Some have felt, or manifested, so little inter- 
est in the work, as to withhold from me the information, which would have 
enabled me to make it biographically complete. The obscurity which the great 
majority of such enjoyed in civil life, together with my insufBcient means 
placed the needed information beyond my reach. 

In connection with the biographical notices of Iowa officers, I have given his- 
tories of the Iowa regiments and other Iowa troops, and a brief statement of 
military operations in the departments wherein they served. Nor have I con- 
fined myself, strictly, to the mention of Iowa troops, but have, in many instan- 
ces, given the names of those of other States, whose names, to see associated with 
their own, will give to the Iowa soldiers great pleasure; for though a soldier be 
jealous of his own achievements and fame, he will ever cherish a recollection of 
those brave men who have been his comrades in peril and glory. Throughout 
this bloody struggle, the troops of the great North-West have fought side by side. 
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa, and I may 
add Missouri and Kansas, are bound together by indissoluble ties for all time to 
oome. All, in the War of the Rebellion, are entitled to equal credit. 

That which was necessary to avoid to preserve the interest of the book was rep- 
etition. This has cost me much labor ; and to show it is a difficult task to 
give a history of each Iowa regiment, and have it distinct and complete in it- 
.=elf, it need only be stated that, almost from the beginning of the war till now, 
several of these regiments have served in the same division, and taken part in 
the same military operations. If, therefore, in some instances I have indulged 
in repetition, it is no more than should be expected. 

One of the chief features of interest connected with this book is the life-like 
portraits of many of Iowa's distinguished officers — those through whom the mil- 
itary prowess of the State is known abroad. In the future they will stand, in 

5 



6 PREFACE. 

oonnection with the War of the Rebellion, where to-day, Green, Gates, Ham- 
ilton, Schuyler, and many others stand, in connection with the War of tho 
Revolution. 

In giving a description of the persons of Iowa oflBcers, and in stating their 
merits, their habits, and their leading traits of character, I have endeavored to 
tell the truth in plain and simple language, and to avoid that foolish flattery 
so commonly bestowed on all who, by merit or chance., have mounted an eagle 
or a star. All have not won enviable distinction, and to give all a great 
name would be doing a gross injustice to the deserving 

That to which I have paid more particular attention is the description of the 
engagements in which the Iowa troops have taken part. It is the conduct of 
her troops in the face of the enemy, that has given the State her brilliant mili- 
tary reputation, and made her, in the judgment of that able paper, the Chica- 
go "Journal," "the banner State of the Union." In speaking of the conduct of 
our troops in battle, I have endeavored to avoid strained and unnatural lan- 
guage, stating simply what was done, and what results followed. I have given, 
as far as I could with good authority, lists of casualties; and also the names of 
those, who, by their gallantry, won special distinction. 

I do not claim for the book literary merit. I have tried to write it with clear- 
ness and energy, and to present the greatest possible amount of matter in the 
fewest possible words. 

A. A. STUART 

Ottumtva, Iowa, May 2d, 1865. 



WILLIAM MILO STONE. 

GOVERNOR OF IOWA. 

William M. Stone was bom in Jefferson county, New 
York, on the 1-lth day of October, 1827. At the age of six years, 
he accompanied his parents to Coshocton county, Ohio. In 
tliat State he grew up and gained a meager education. He began 
life at the age of thirteen, as a hired hand upon a farm. Two 
years later, he was hired as a team-driver on the Ohio canal, 
and at the age of eighteen was apprenticed to a chair-maker, 
which business he followed till he reached his twenty-fourth 
year. That same year he was admitted to the Coshocton bar. 
Since 1854, he has been lawyer, editor, judge, captain, major, 
colonel, and governor. Commencing lower down than thou- 
sands of his competitors, he has left them all gaping and star- 
ing after him, and wondering how he did it, and— there I shall 
leave them. All declare he is the luckiest man they ever knew. 

The extent of Governor Stone's early education, was two 
terms, or Winters, at a common country school. His knowl- 
edo-e of law was gained through the assistance and encourage- 
ment of James Matthews, Esq., of Coshocton county, Ohio— 
later, his father-in-law. While following his trade, he had 
access to this gentleman's law library, and prosecuted the study 
of his chosen profession with such zeal and energy as to be able, 
in 1851, to exchange the chair-shop for the court-room. He 
began practice as a partner of his former preceptor, and con- 
tinued with him till 1854, when he removed to Iowa, and estab- 
lished himself at Knoxville, Marion county. During his first 
year in Knoxville, he practiced his profession; but in 1855, pur- 
chased and began the publication of the Knoxville "Journal." 



8 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

As editor of that paper, if I am rightly informed, lie was the 
first man in Iowa to suggest the call of a convention to organize 
the Republican Party, then only in embryo. He was not only 
the first to suggest the call of a Republican Convention in the 
State, but was a delegate to that convention, when called; and 
was nominated one of the Presidential Electors. Indeed, the 
beginning of Governor Stone's career as a public man, in Iowa, 
bears date at Iowa City, the 22(1 of February, 1856. 

During the Presidential canvass of ISoG, he visited the princi- 
l)al part of Southern Iowa, in company with our first Republi- 
can representative— Major-General Samuel ]l. Curtis. In that 
exciting canvass, he gained considerable note as a public speaker, 
which, with his genial, off-hand address, put him fairly before 
the peox^le. In February, 1857, one year later, a judicial con- 
vention was called at Dcs Moines, to put in nomination a can- 
didate for district judge of Stone's district. Stone was present 
in the convention, and through the influence of his friends, 
secured the nomination. From that time he became a rising 
man in the State. He was elected to the judgeship with a flat- 
tering majority ; and, having served that term with credit, was, 
in 1858, re-nominated and re-elected with increased majorities. 
He was the incumbent of this office, and holding a session of 
his court in Washington county, at the time the news reached 
him of the firing on Fort Sumter. He immediately adjourned 
his court, declaring at the time, that the country demanded of 
him and the people other and more imjiortant services. 

Returning to Knoxville, Judge Stone raised a company, of 
which he was elected captain; was assigned to the 3d Iowa 
Infantry in May, and, on the 25th day of June following, was 
promoted to the majority of his regiment. He .accompanied 
his regiment into Northern Missouri as captain, and in com- 
mand of his company, (B)— for he did not receive his commis- 
sion as major till after his arrival at Chillicothe. While con- 



AVILLIAM M. STOXE. 9 

nected with the 3rd Iowa Infantry, Major Stone fought at the 
battles of Blue Mills, (where he was wounded) and Shiloh. In 
the last named engagement he commanded his regiment, and 
was made prisoner. Something of his sojourn in Dixie, as a 
prisoner of war, may be seen in the sketch of Brevet Brigadier- 
General J. M. Hedrick, then a captain of the 15th Iowa. In 
nearly all cases, Stone was the spokesman of the party ; and his 
cheerfulness and wit contributed not a little in keeping his fel- 
low prisoners in spirits. What, I believe, afforded the most 
amusement were the arguments between himself and the bel- 
ligerous Colonel Shaw, of the Uth. Stone could advocate any 
thing, and Shaw would always take the opposite. They would 
often drag their discussions into the small hours of morning, 
while the other prisoners, congregated about them, would 
watch and listen attentively, except when giving occasional 
attention to a straggling gray-back. I imagine that I can see 
them now congregated together. I can see them, attired in their 
cleanest linen, and seated in old rickety chairs, and on benches 
and boxes, exhausting the whole calendar of attitudes. 

But Major Stone was even lucky as a prisoner of war. In 
June, 18G2, after some three months' captivity, he was selected 
as one of three Federal officers, who, being paroled by the rebel 
War Department, were dispatched to Washington to aid in 
arranging a cartel of exchange between the belligerent parties. 
The first mission was unsuccessful, and one of the parties, at 
least, (Stone) returned to Richmond and surrendered himself to 
the rebel authorities. Jefferson Davis, pleased with his conduct 
and with what he had done, sent him back to Washington to 
renew his efforts. His mission this time was successful, or at 
least was so represented ; but, however that may be, it is certain 
that a general exchange came off in the following Fall. 

His experience as a prisoner of war, gave Major Stone much 
notoriety, and put within his reach any position that ordinary 



10 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

desires might covet. Accordingly, after securing his liberty 
and returning to his home in Knoxville, he was tendered the 
colonelcy of the 22d Iowa Infantry, which he accepted. He 
was made colonel of that regiment in August, 18G2, and served 
with it till August 14th, of the following year, when he resigned 
his commission with the almost certain promise of succeeding 
to the highest honors within the gift of his State. 

Though Stone made a good record as colonel of the 22d Iowa, 
there is nothing strikingly brilliant about it. He first served 
with his regiment in Missouri, and was for several weeks com- 
mander of the post at RoUa. His regiment served as the pro- 
vost-guard. In the early part of 1863, he was ordered South to 
take part in the experiments against Vicksburg ; and immedi- 
ately moved down the Mississippi, to Milliken's Bend, Louisi- 
ana. Attached to Carr's Division of McClernand's Corps, (the 
18th) Colonel Stone joined in the brilliant march of Grant's army 
across the country to opposite Bruinsburg on the Mississippi, 
and thence to the rear of Vicksburg. A full account of this 
march, and of its incidents, will be found elsewhere. On this 
march the 22d Iowa first met the enemy. 

In the battle of Port Gibson, the first of the campaign, Colo- 
nel Stone commanded the brigade to which his regiment was 
attached; or rather, he commanded it during the forenoon of 
the engagement. Early in the forenoon, he had become so 
completely exhausted as to be compelled to turn his command 
over to Colonel Merrill of the 21st Iowa. During the time he 
acted on the field, he conducted himself with much credit. In 
this engagement, too, the 22d Iowa reflected on itself much 
honor. Colonel Stone's Brigade led the advance from Bru- 
insburg, and was, of course, the first to encounter the enemy 
among the rugged hills south of Port Gibson. This was not 
far from the hour of mid-night. 

So soon as the enemy were encountered in force at Thomp- 



WILLIAM M. STONE. 11 

son's Hill, Major Atherton, the unfortunate, who was in com- 
mand of the 22d Iowa, hurried the regiment to the front, and 
deployed it in line to the left of Captain Grifllth's Battery. 
There the regiment rested on their arms that night. Until 
about ten o'clock of the following morning, the regiment acted 
as an artillery support, and was then led forward to charge the 
rebel line, which it did with gallantry, quickly routing the en- 
emy, and promptly occupying the ground just before held by 
them. In the severe fighting of the afternoon, the 22d Iowa 
was in the front, and joined in three distinct charges against 
the enemy's line, each of which was successful. The following 
is from the official report of the regiment's conduct in the 
action : 

" Throughout this series of engagements, the officers and men 
of the regiment behaved with great coolness and gallantry. I 
found them always ready and eager to obey the order to move 
on the enemy. So well did the entire command acquit them- 
selves, I can not, without seeming invidiousness, enter into par- 
ticulars. It is sufficient to say, they acted nobly, and well sus- 
tained the honors already earned by Iowa soldiers. Great care 
was taken to shelter the men from the enemy's fire, which the 
unevenness of the ground enabled us to do, with comparative 
success. And yet, the loss of the regiment, being greater with 
but one exception than that of any other in the brigade, shows 
plainly where they were during the long and hotly contested 
engagement. Too much praise^cannot be awarded to our sur- 
geons, White -and Peabody." 

The loss of the 22d at Port Gibson was two men killed, and 
fourteen wounded. Lieutenants D. J. Davis, W. M. DeCamp, 
J. T. Whittington, D. N. Henderson, and John Francisco were 
among the latter. Lieutenant Davis was adjutant of the regi- 
ment. 

In the official report of the Division Commander (Carr) is 
paid the following compliment to Colonel Stone: 

" Colonel William M. Stone, 22d Iowa, who succeeded to the 
command of the 2d Brigade, took his place with the extreme 



12 IOWA COLONELS AXD REGIMENTS. 

advance guard at night, during the advance upon the enemy, 
exposed himself freely, and exerted himself so much that he 
became completely exhausted in the afternoon, and was com- 
pelled to relinquish his command to Colonel Samuel ISIerrill, 
21st Iowa, for above an hour. By his bravery and the admi- 
rable management of his brigade, he reflects new honor on his 
noble State." 

In speaking of liis division general. Colonel Stone, in his 
official report, is equally complimentary. 

Soon after the action at Port Gibson, General Lawlcr was 
assigned to the command of the 2d Brigade, when Colonel 
Stone again assumed command of his regiment. There is little 
of special interest in the Colonel's military record, or in that of 
his regiment, from the date of the Port Gibson battle to the 22d 
of May following. The 2d Brigade of the 14th Division did the 
magnificent fighting at Black River Bridge ; but both the 22d 
Iowa and 11th AVisconsin regiments were in reserve, and suf- 
fered little. The 21st and 23d Iowa regiments are entitled to 
tlie credit of that brilliant afiiiir, and none will be found to dis- 
pute it with them. 

That which most distinguished Colonel Stone in the service, 
was the part he sustained with his regiment in the memorable 
charge at Vicksburg, on the 22d of INIay. In that clmrge he 
was for the second time wounded. 

The nature of the country in the immediate vicinity of Vicks- 
burg, and the character of the enemy's works were such as to 
insure almost certain defeat to the assaulting army, provided 
the rebel garrison were not reduced to a state of totiil demorali- 
zation. It was precisely this that General Grant counted on, as 
appears in his official report ; and, when we reflect that he had 
been a witness to the enemy's shameful defeat and flight at Bif,' 
Black River Bridge, were his inferences unreasonable ? 

In the march from Big Black River to the rear of Vicksburg, 
Sherman followed the Bridgeport road, McPherson the Jack. 



WILLIAM M STONE. 13 

son road, and McClernand the same road as ISIcPherson, till he 
reache<l Mount Albans; then, turning to the left, he gained the 
Baldwin Ferry road. This threw Sherman on the right of the 
investing line, McPhei-son in the centre, and McClernand on 
the left. The 22d Iowa, being attached to the command of 
McClernand, was therefore on the south side of Vicksburg. 
The general character of the ground over which the charge was 
made, and the kind of obstructions to be overcome, I have given 
elsewhere. I give below an extract from Major Atherton's 
oflScial report, showing the particular part the 22d took in the 
murderous assault. 

"At four o'clock A. M., the regiment took position opposite 
the enemy's works, preparatory to the charge, where we were 
sheltered by the crest of a hill, and companies A and B 
deployed as skirmishers. We lay upon our arms until ten 
o'clock A. M., the appointed hour for the charge, when we 
formed in line of battle on the summit of the hill, and imme- 
diately pressed forward. From our first api)earance upon the 
hill, we were expose<l to a terrible fire from tlie enemy, con- 
waled within their forts and rifle-pits. The men maintained 
their line and advanced like veterans to the ravine in front of 
the enemy's works, and made a charge upon the fort situated 
to our right. While here we were exposed to a murderous fire 
from the front, and an enfilading fire from the right and left, 
the enemy's works being so constructed as to eff"ect this result. 
The column pressed forward, stormed the fort, took possession 
of the same and its inmates, and held it till dark. We main- 
tained our position during the day, receiving and returning the 
enemy's fire — they concealed in their forts and other defences, 
and we, in a great measure, without any shelter. A continuance 
of the contest was deemed unadvisable, and we retired under 
cover of the night." 

In this action, the 22d Iowa lost heavily. Colonel Stone was 
wounded, and Lieutenant-Colonel Graham taken prisoner. 
Captain James Robertson and Lieutenant M. A. Robb were 
among the killed. They were both good men, and their loss 
was deeply mourned in the regiment. One of the severely 



14 IOWA COLOXELS AND REGIIMENTS. 

wounded was Sergeant Leonidas M. Godley. When near the 
enemy's works, he was shot above the knee, and his leg badly 
fractured. He lay under the enemy's guns till after midnight, 
when he was rascued by the enemy and taken into Vicksburg. 
He still lives to tell the story of his prison-life in the beleaguered 
city. The chief hero of Grant's army, that day, was a member 
of the 22d Iowa — Sergeant Joseph E. Griffiths. *' No troops," 
says General Grant in his official report, " succeeded in entering 
any of the enemy's works, with the exception of Sergeant 
Griffiths, of the 22d Regiment Iowa Volunteers, and some 
eleven privates of the same regiment. Of these, none returned 
except the Sergeant, and possibly one man." 

Tlie charge of the 22d of May, at Vicksburg, was Colonel 
Stone's last engagement. Having received early in the figlit a 
gun-shot wound through his left fore-arm, he retired from the 
field, and a few days later left for his home on leave of absence. 
Fortune was again favoring him. 

Soon after arriving at his home in Knoxville, the Republican 
Gubernatorial Convention assembled at Des Moines. He atten- 
ded it, and in a contest between himself. Honorable Elijah Sells, 
and General Fitz Henry Warren, received the nomination ; 
then, returning to Vicksburg, he resigned his commission, and 
at once entered upon the vigorous canvass, which resulted in 
his election. Such rapid and uninterrupted success has never 
before fallen to the lot of any man in Iowa. 

His administration of the Executive Department of the State, 
has been characterized by that shrewdness and energy which 
has marked his whole political course. Thus far, it has been 
a popular one ; and, in this respect, contrasts favorably with 
that of his predecessor. Though not so able a man as Ex-Gov- 
ernor Kirkwood, his prospects for the future are now much the 
brightest. His conduct as governor has been criticised, to my 
knowledge, only in one particular. His visits to the army 



WILLIAM >r. STOXE. 15 

were pronounced by some buncombe expeditions, but tlie sol- 
diers did not, I am informed, so regard them. 

Governor Stone is about six feet in hight, and slender and 
erect. He has a Grecian face, a large, straight nose, large, full, 
gray eyes, and spare features. His appearance is intelligent 
and prepossessing. The chief elements of his success are, I 
believe, an easy, entertaining address, untiring industry, and 
unlimited self-confidence. These, sustained by a vigorous con- 
stitution, and driven by an iron- will, have enabled him to 
accomplish whatever he undertook. He rarely loses his temper, 
and seldom discovers an immodest desire for distinction. 

As a public speaker. Governor Stone is fluent and forcible, 
but not polished — just what one would expect, when he remem- 
bers that all his early oratorical efforts were made at the bar. 
He has the happy faculty of forgetting himself in his theme. 
Many were witnesses of this fact at Des Moines, when himself 
and General Warren addressed the delegates the evening before 
the convention. Colonel Stone's wound was still troubling 
him, making it necessary for him to carry his hand in a sling; 
but, after entering upon his speech, he forgot that he had but 
one well arm, and, drawing it from the sling, began twirling it 
in violent gesticulations. 

Governor Stone's past successes have not only disappointed 
his enemies, but surprised his friends. He is the most remark- 
able public man in Iowa, and his future, as promising as that of 
any man in the State. 



NATHANIEL BRADLEY BAKER. 

ADJUTANT-GENERAL OF IOWA. 

Nathaniel Bradley Baker, Iowa's able and eccentric 
Adjutant-General, was born on the 29th of September, 1818, in 
Hennika, Merrimack county, (then Hillsborough) New Hamp- 
shire. His education is liberal. He pursued his preparatory 
course at the Phillip's Exeter Academy, New Hampshire, and 
graduated at Harvard College — the Oxford of American univer- 
sities, and the alma mater of a large per cent, of the distinguished 
jurists, statesmen, clergy and literary savans of the country. 

I am unacquainted with the history of General Baker's col- 
lege days, but I venture the assertion that he was not a hard 
worker, and that, if in passing a difficult ascent in Horace or 
the Iliad a pony would help him, he would not hesitate to 
mount one. A half-hour would suffice him in preparing for a 
recitation; and, during that time, I imagine I can see him 
lounging on his bed and smoking a cigar. His active mind 
would enable him to grasp principles without eternally plod- 
ding, and his text-books would lack sufficient charms to engross 
his entire attention. He could never have been a book-worm. 
He graduated in the year 1839, with fair standing in his class, 
and had the credit of possessing much general information. 

After leaving Harvard, he studied law in the office of Ex- 
President Franklin Pierce, and later in that of Asa Fowler and 
Charles H. Peaslee. In 1842, he was admitted to the Merrimack 
county Bar, but did not enter the practice. He became editor 
of the New Hampshire "Patriot," a half-interest in which he 
had purchased prior to 1842. In 1845, he disposed of his inter- 
est in that paper, and received the appointment of Clerk of the 

10 



NATHANIEL B. BAKEK. 17 

Court of Common Pleas for Merrimack county. Five years later 
he was elected to the New Hampshire Legislature, as represen- 
tative ficom the city of Concord, and the following year was re- 
elected. During both sessions, he served as Speaker of the 
House. In 1851, he was only thirty-three years of age, and 
there was not a more popular man in the State of New Hamp- 
shire. 

Having received the Democratic nomination for Governor of 
New Hampshire, he was, in 1854, triumphantly elected. This 
result was hardly looked for by his party, and demonstrated 
his unbounded popularity in the State. It was unlooked for, 
since the change of its national policy had weakened his party 
in the State ; and, in addition to that, there were three aspir- 
ants in the field, and it required a majority— not a plurality 
to elect. 

As Governor of Now Hampshire, General Baker's administra- 
tion was characterized with his usual promptness and energy ; 
but his name in some way got mixed up with the Know-Noth- 
ing Party, which ruined his popularity in the State. His term 
expired in 1855, and in the following year he came to Iowa, and 
settled in Clinton, which has since been the residence of his 
family. In Clinton, he practiced his profession till the fall of 
1860, when, not yet cured of his political aspirations, he con- 
sented to become a candidate for the State Legislature from 
Clinton county. He was elected and served the following ses- 
sion in that body. 

On the 25th of July, 1861, he was appointed by Governor 
Kirkwood Adjutant-General of Iowa, and, in 1864, was re-ap- 
pointed by Governor Stone ; and, in his fitness for the position, 
I believe he has no equal in the State. The skill and ability 
which he has shown, in the discharge of his duties, would do 
credit to one of extensive military experience and education. 
His promptness and energy, and the systematic manner in 



18 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

which he has conducted the business of his office have elicited 
flattering compliments from the public press in nearly every 
loyal State. Indeed, his services as Adjutant-General of 
Iowa, tone well with those of the Iowa troops in the field. 
Iowa may well be proud of him. That I am impartial in my 
judgment, the following, from one of the leading papers of 
Chicago, Illinois, is evidence: 

" Almost simultaneously with the close of 1864, the State of 
Iowa gives to the public its Adjutant-General's Report for the 
year. The fact that Iowa is the only State which has an excess 
over all calls for men, attaches a peculiar interest to its military 
operations, and the same circumstance will warrant more than 
a mere passing allusion to the prominent share this gallant 
young State has taken in the contest. 

"In looking over the full and handsomely printed report of 
Iowa, a citizen of Illinois will be mortified at the contrast, as 
he compares it with those of his own State. The Iowa Report 
is most creditable to the State. Iowa has a voting population 
of from one hundred and twelve, to one hundred and fifteen 
thousand, and, of this sparse number, nearly or quite sixty 
thousand have been put into the field. To-day a number equal 
to one-half the voters of the Hawk-Eye State are under arms. 
Nor are the men who have been sent to the field canaille — 
bought in the social kennels of Europe, or refuse negroes, 
picked up among the camps. 

" To the general reader, the most interesting portion of Gen- 
eral Baker's Report is that which contains a record of the opera- 
tions of every Iowa regiment. Fully one-half of the volume is 
devoted to the history of the regiments in the field; and it 
gives, either in an official or narrative form, the performances 
of each regiment, during the year. By the employment of 
this plan, a record of the troops is kept. The regiments are en- 
couraged, by knowing that their labors all reach the public ; 
and furthermore, a condensed account is preserved, which 
only needs the amplification of the author to become history. " 

The following, which needs no explanation, shows how Gen- 
eral Baker's services are appreciated by the War Department 
at Washington: 



NATHANIEL B. BAKER. 19 

" General Orders, No. 6. 

" Headquarters Sixth Division, Cavalry Corps, M. D. M., 
Edgefield, Tennessee, Dec. 28, 1864. 

."It has come to the knowledge of the General commanding, 
that in the Iowa regiments serving in this division, and per- 
haps in those from other States, it has been customary, under 
the supposed authority of some regulation or order from Head- 
quarters of the so-called ' Army of Iowa,' or other authority of 
like character, to furnish to the Adjutant-General of the State 
of Iowa, and other States, copies of the monthly returns, lists 
of casualties, reports of oi)erations and other reports. 

" Not only military propriety, but the danger of such papers 
falling into the hands of improper persons, forbids this prac- 
tice. 

•' It is therefore ordered, that in future no such reports, re- 
turns, or others of like character, or copies thereof be furnished 
to the Adjutant-General of the State of Iowa, or any other 
State, or any person, persons, or authority except as now re- 
quired, or as may be hereafter recjuired by orders from the War 
Department, or Department Head-quarters. 

" The time of the officers of this command is too precious 
to be devoted to the preparation of official documents for the 
satisfiiction or curiosity of civilians at home. This must be 
left to the newspaper correspondents. 

" Officers will understand that they and their troops are in 
the service of the United States, and in their military capacity 
have no relations whatever to the States from which they come, 
or the Executive thereof. 

" By command of Brigadier-General Johnson. 

" E. T. Wells, Assistant Adjutant- General. 

" Official copy for the information of the Adjutant-General of 
Iowa. 

"E. T. Wells, Assistant Adjutant- General. " 

General Baker forwarded the letter to the Secretary of War, 
with the following endorsement : 
" General Johnson : 

" The Adjutant-General of the State of Iowa, acknowledges 
the receipt of the extraordinary ' General Orders. ' 

"The State Officials have asked nothing improper, and the 
Adjutant-General cannot comi^rehend the motives of Brigadier- 



20 IOWA COLONELS AND KEGIMENTS. 

General Johnson in issuing the ' General Orders, ' of which the 
within is a copy. 

" The State wishes to keep up the records of the volunteers 
sent from this State. 

" No other General, that this department is aware of, has 
heretofore attempted to prevent the comjiletion of said records. 
" These records are absolutely essential for the protection of 
soldiers and their families here at home. 

" (Signed) N. B. Baker, 

" Adjutant- General of Iowa. " 
" Special Okdees No. 53. 
"War Department, Adjutant-General's Office, 
Washington, February 2, 1865. 
{Uxtmct). 

* -x- * -x- * 

40. So nmch of General Orders No. 6, December 28, 1864, 
from Head-quarters 6th Division, Cavalry Corps, Military Di- 
vision of the Mississippi, as forbids the rendition of certain 
returns and reports called for by tlie Adjutant-General of 
Iowa, is hereby revoked, it being improper in its tone, and dis- 
respectful to the State authorities. 

* * * * * 
" By order of the Secretary of War. 

" E. D. TOWNSEND. " 

General Baker has not only secured merited distinction for 
the accurate, systematic and elaborate manner with which he 
has conducted every thing properly connected with his office, 
but he has manifested an interest in the Iowa soldier, beyond 
the limits of the State and outside of his legitimate duties, 
which has won him the lasting gratitude of many. One of the 
many instances that might be cited is the case of the railroad 
disaster in Indiana ; where, by a public order, he gave notice 
to the friends of all Iowa soldiers, murdered or maimed by the 
criminal negligence of the railroad, not to settle with the cor- 
porators, or their agents, pledging his official word that justice 
should be obtained for the injured parties. 

General Baker is a large man, being six feet and one inch in 
hight, and weighing about one hundred and ninety pounds. 



NATHANIEL B. BAKER. 21 

He has a fine, well formed person, intelligent, gray eyes, and a 
large prominent forehead. In person, he is prepossessing, and 
he would be in manners and conversation, were he less rough 
and unguarded in his language. He has Puritanic blood in his 
veins, and, like the old Puritans, is plain-spoken and earnest ; 
but, if he inherited all their virtues, one of the cardinal ones he 
has squandered. Iowa would give him anything he could ask 
if he would only become a teetotaler. He has no secretiveness, 
and never talks in a whisper; and in his walk, which is 
another index of his character, he has none of that creeping, 
cat-like gait that stamps all sinister two-sided men. 

General Baker is a man of much ability. He has large con- 
centrativeness, a masterly memory, and, for the amount of 
business he is able to accomplish in a given time, he has few 
equals. 



COLONEL JOHN FRANCIS BATES. 

FIRST INFANTRY. 

John Francis Bates was the first colonel of the first regi- 
ment furnished by the State for the War of the Rebellion. He 
was born the 3d day of January, 1831 ; and is a native of Utica, 
Oneida County, New York. His parents were poor, and, 
thrown upon his own resources in acquiring his education, he 
defrayed his expenses for six years at the Utica schools, by 
sweeping the school-room and by building fires. Two years, he 
subsequently passed in the office of the Utica Daily " Gazette," 
and then became a book-keeper and salesman in a mercantile 
establishment of that city. From 1852 to 1855, he was engaged 
in the insurance business in New York City, since which time 
he has been a resident of Dubuque, Iowa. In Dubuque, he has 
been an insurance agent, a land-broker and a county politician. 
He was elected in 1858 to the clerkship of the District Court 
for Dubuque County, and w^as holding that office at the time of 
entering the volunteer service. After the expiration of his 
term of service, he was again elected to that office. 

The 1st Iowa Infantry was the only Iowa regiment furnished 
by the State for the first call of the President. It was the only 
three-months Iowa regiment in the war. But, though its term 
of service was short, it made a brilliant record, and what 
sacred memories cluster about its name ! 

During the long four-year's bitter struggle that is now about 
to close, Iowa, in practical patriotism, in the promptness with 
which she has filled her quotas, and in the general efficiency of 
her troops, stands second to none of the loyal States. I will 
not say firsts where all have done so well ; but a press of the 

metropolis of our sister Empire State gives "All honor to the 

22 



JOHN F. BATES. 23 

enterprise and gallantry of Iowa. She lias, uncomplainingly 
and unselfishly, borne more than her share of the onerous bur- 
dens of the war ; and in the field her sons have carried the Stars 
and Stripes well in the front, and made the name of Iowa 
soldiers synonymous with heroism and invincibility." 

The 1st Iowa Infantry was the oldest of her sister regiments, 
and how much her example at Wilson's Creek had to do in 
making her junior sisters " heroic and invincible," it is impos- 
sible to say ; but we believe that no State, whose military sun 
rose in such splendor as did Iowa's, would allow it to set in 
disgrace. All honor to the 1st Iowa Infantry ! 

To know the counties from which this regiment was made 
up will be matter of interest, as it also will to know the names 
and subsequent history of many of its ofiicers and enlisted 
men. The members of the regiment had their homes in the 
counties of Dubuque, Muscatine, Scott, Johnson, Des Moines, 
Henry and Linn. Muscatine gave companies A and C ; Des 
Moines, D and E ; Dubuque, H and I ; Johnson, B ; Henry, F ; 
Scott, G ; and Linn, K. 

Of Company A, Captain Markoe Cummings was subse- 
quently lieutenant-colonel of the 6th Iowa Infantry ; Lieuten- 
ant Benjamin Beach, a captain of the 11th ; First Sergeant H. 
J. Campbell, major of the 18th ; and private Robert B. Baird, 
quarter-master of the 3oth. 

Of Company B, Lieutenant Harvey Graham was subse- 
quently lieutenant-colonel of the 22d Iowa Infantry ; and 
Sergeants Charles N. Lee and J. H. Gurkee, captains in the 
same regiment. 

Of Company C, Lieutenant W. Pursell was subsequently 
major of the 16th Iowa Infantry ; First Sergeant W. Grant, a 
captain of the 11th, and Corporal A. N. Snyder, a captain of 
the 35th. 

Of Company D, the facetious, jolly captain, Charles L. 



24 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

Matthies, was subsequently lieutenant-colonel of the 5th Iowa 
Infantry, then colonel, and then brigadier-general. 

Of Company E, Lieutenant J. C. Abercrombie was subse- 
quently lieutenant-colonel of the 11th Iowa Infantry ; private 
W. J. Campbell, a captain of the 14th ; private C. A. Cameron, 
a captain of the 39th ; and private A. Roberts, lieutenant- 
colonel of the 30th. 

Of Company F, Captain Samuel M. Wise was subsequently 
major of the 17tli Iowa Infantry ; Lieutenant George A. Stone, 
colonel of the 25th ; private J. S. Clark, a lieutenant of the 
34th ; private C. W. Woodrow, a lieutenant of the 17th ; and 
private T. J. Zollars, captain of Company F, 4th Iowa Cavalry. 

Of Company G, Captain Augustus Wentz was subsequently 
lieutenant-colonel of the 7th Io\va Infantry, and was killed 
at Belmont ; and private Ernest Arp, a lieutenant of the 12th 
Missouri Infantry. 

Of Company H, Sergeant Charles Schaeffer was subsequently 
a major of the 5th Iowa Cavalry, and a staff officer of General 
Curtis ; private T. Groetzinger, a lieutenant in the 27th In- 
fimtry. 

Of Company I, Captain F. J. Herron was subsequently lieu- 
tenant-colonel of the 9th Iowa Infantry, then brigadier-gen- 
eral, and then major-general; Sergeant Samuel F. Osborn, a 
lieutenant in the 21st ; private N. E. Duncan, adjutant of the 
12th ; private David Greaves, a captain in the 21st ; private D. 

B. Green, a captain in the 3d Missouri Infantry ; and private 

C. A. Reed, an assistant-surgeon of the 9th Infantry. 

Of Company K, First Sergeant John H. Stibbs was subse- 
quently a captain, then lieutenant-colonel of the 12th Iowa 
Infantry ; Sergeant Edward Coulter, a captain in the 20th ; 
private G. C. Burmeister, a captain in the 35th ; and private 
Jackson D. Furguson, a lieutenant in the 12th. He was killed 
at the battle of Shiloh. 



JOHN F. BATES. 25 

In its line officers and enlisted men, this noble old regiment 
has been represented in a majority of the Iowa regiments, 
since formed; and, from these officers and men, it has fur- 
nished officers of every grade in the army, from a second lieu- 
tenant to a major-general. Its example at Wilson's Creek was 
not the only influence it had on the military history of the 
State. 

The 1st Iowa rendezvoused at the city of Keokuk, and its 
camp was Camp Ellsworth. War, at that day, was a novelty, 
and there was no end to the curiosity that a boy, dressed in 
uniform, excited. And an officer — my ! One who visited the 
camp of this regiment at Keokuk discourses thus : 

"Their mode of life was a great novelty tons; those senti- 
nels marching to and fro, so stern, so mute ! All within ten 
feet of their beat was forbidden ground. What did all this 
signify ? Their officers were putting on style, we said, and the 
men were learning to be soldiers pretty easily. Then there 
was a gate, where stood sentinel No. 1. Through this, all who 
went in or out were compelled to pass. And there stood the 
officer of the guard — how magnificently attired! If men's 
merits were to be judged by their appearance, we would have 
supposed him a hero of twenty battles. But we forgot to 
salute him. What daggers he looked at us ! We asked him 
to let us pass in. 

' Where do you belong ? ' 

' To the Third Regiment ! ' 

' What do you want here ? ' 

' To see some friends. ' 

' Sentinel, pass them in, sir. ' " 

Farther along the author says : 

" We plied them with all manner of questions, in reply to 
which they told us prodigious stories of what they had already 
seen and suffered for their country's sake. If we were to 
believe them, they were suffering greatly now. They had been 
in the service six weeks and a half, and the government had 
furnished them no clothing, and not a cent of pay ! Besides, 
they were half-starved ; and the rations furnished them were not 
fit for a dog ! And their officers treated them shamefully too." 



26 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

Thousands will recognize this as a true picture of their early 
soldiering. 

If in the spring of 1861, a soldier in rendezvous was a nov- 
elty, he was on the eve of his departure for the field, still more 
so. He became an object of veneration; and, as he moved 
through the streets, he stirred in the hearts of the citizens the 
deepest emotions. " Brave, noble boy ! He is going to defend 
our rights and the glory of the flag ; and will probably never 
return." Big tears started in many a manly eye that had 
never known weeping before. 

The 1st Iowa Infantry received orders from General Lyon to 
report at Hannibal, Missouj-i, on the 12th of June, and the 
next day the regiment left on transports. The 2d Iowa 
Infantry under Colonel, now Major-General Curtis, left only 
the day before for the same destination. The good people of 
Keokuk were wild with excitement, and lavish of their hospi- 
talities; and when all was in readiness and the boats were 
about to drop out into the stream, a vast assemblage stood on 
the wharf, waving and weeping their adieus. But how all was 
changed in one year's time ! The same people wished the 15th 
and 17th Iowa on their departure for the field, " good rid- 
dance;" they still admired the soldier's intrepid spirit; but 
they had become impatient of his mischievous conduct. 

Colonel Bates was at first assigned to duty with his regiment 
on the line of the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad. His sec- 
tion extended from Hannibal to Macon City. The character of 
these services appears in the sketch of Colonel Wilson G. Wil- 
liams, and need not be repeated. The duties, which were 
arduous, and which required the greatest vigilance, were dis- 
charged with much credit, and the regiment became popular 
with the loyal citizens of Missouri. 

Early in July, Colonel Bates was relieved from guard duty 



JOHN F. BATES. 27 

on the railroad, and ordered to report to General Lyon at 
Brownsville. Soon after, the long and tedious march over the 
Missouri prairies in the direction of Springfield began. 

At that day, the people of the entire State of Missouri were 
in a state of anarchy. The great dividing lines were being 
drawn, and both the Federal and Confederate authorities were, 
in the same district, and often in the same county, recruiting 
their forces. Everything seemed to threaten civil order in 
Missouri. We know little of the terrors of civil war in Iowa. 
Citizens upon our southern border only have had a foretaste. 
All business pursuits were not only suspended, but no one at 
night could rest soundly, for fear of the knife, bullet or torch of 
the assassin. 

Harris, Green and others, had large rebel forces even north of 
the Missouri river. Near Springfield, the enemy were concen- 
trating. They boasted that they would capture St. Louis, 
which was Fremont's excuse for his elaborate fortifications 
around that city. General Lyon resolved to march on and 
disperse the enemy, though his force consisted of not more 
than six thousand men, and the enemy claimed more than 
treble that number. He marched from Springfield on the First 
of August, in the direction of Dug Springs, and at that place . 
encountered the enemy in force; but after slight skirmish- 
ing they retired. He followed them into Northern Arkansas ; 
but not bringing them to a stand, and fearing for his own safety 
on account of being so far removed from his base, he fell back 
to Springfield. On this march, the 1st Iowa Infantry had sev- 
eral skirmishes with the enemy. So soon as Lyon began 
retracing his steps the enemy followed, and on his arrival at 
Springfield, or soon after, they had reached Wilson's Creek. 
Why did General Lyon fight the battle of Wilson's Creek? 
Why, if necessary, did he not faU back in the direction of Holla, 
and await reinforcements ? General Lyon fought this battle, I 



28 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

believe, for the same reasons that would have controlled any 
other brave, resolute general at that stage of the war. He 
believed that the enemy, though strong in numbers, were 
weak in that strength which arises from a sense of being in the 
right, and on the side of law and order. As a bailiff with his 
posse disperses a crazy, lawless mob, so he believed he could 
triumph over the combined rebel forces ; and, had he not fallen, 
he might have done so, though probably not. 

The battle of Wilson's Creek was not great in its propor- 
tions — only great in results. In the South West, it demon- 
strated the falsity of Southern boasting, that one of the chivalry 
"could whip six northern mud-sills;" indeed it well nigh 
demonstrated the converse of the proposition. It resulted in 
establishing military prestige in the South West in favor of 
the federal arms — a prestige which was never after lost. 

Wilson's Creek is a tributary of White River, and, at the 
point where was fought the celebrated battle which bears its 
name, is about twelve miles west-south-west of Springfield. 
In the vicinity of the battle-ground, the country through 
which it runs is hilly and barren, and, to a considerable extent, 
covered with dense scrub-oak. To the west and south-west of 
Springfield, the stream is crossed by two roads, the one west 
leading to Little York and Mount Vernon, and the one south- 
west to Fayetteville, Arkansas. The distance between these 
two roads at the points where they cross the creek is between 
three and four miles. Nearly mid- way between these the bat- 
tle was fought. 

On the afternoon of the 9th of August, 1861, Lyon, with all 
his forces, was at Springfield, and the enemy in their camp on 
Wilson's Creek. That afternoon, in council with his officers, 
he determined to move out against them, and his plan of 
attack was as follows :— Sigel, with a small force, going down 



JOHN F. BATES. 29 

the Fayetteville road, was to move on the enemy and attack 
them in rear, while Lyon, with the chief part of the troops, 
was to move west over the Little York and Mount Vernon 
road, and attack them in front. The attack was to be made at 
day-light of the 10th instant. Sigel, though successful in sur- 
prising the enemy, was afterwards defeated and narrowly 
escaped capture. This was early in the day. Lyon's command, 
therefore, did the chief fighting at Wilson's Creek. The First 
Iowa Infantry was under Lyon, and the movements of this 
officer I will therefore trace. 

About six o'clock in the evening of the ninth instant, Lyon 
ordered his troops under arms, and without music, marched 
quietly out from Springfield. His course for nearly two miles 
was the same as that followed by Sigel. Continuing his course 
westward till arriving in the neighborhood of Wilson's Creek, 
he then took a blind or by-road to his right ; for a portion of 
the enemy were encamped near the junction of the main road 
with the creek, on the bluffs south-west of the stream ; and 
these, to make his surprise the more complete in the morning, 
he wished to avoid. Before midnight, and without disturbing 
the enemy, he gained the blufis south-west of the creek, and at 
a point some three miles distant from their main camp. His 
position was on their left flank, and their vedettes and pickets 
were not far distant. There he bivouacked till three o'clock in 
the morning. Sigel, on the other hand, halting in the low 
ground on the north-east side of the creek, rested till about the 
same hour, with only the high bluflfe of the creek separating 
him from the enemy. 

At three o'clock, Lyon put his troops under arms, and with 
his skirmishers thrown out, moved down the bank of the creek 
in the direction of the enemj-. The enemy's pickets and their 
reserves were encountered and driven in, about five o'clock, 
and very soon after quite a strong force was met on a high 



30 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

point, some quarter of a mile nortli of wliere tliey were form- 
ing tlieir main line of battle. These were engaged and par- 
tially driven back by the First Kansas Volunteer Infantry and 
a battalion of Regular Infantry under Captain, afterwards, 
General Plummer; and near this spot, let me say, was done 
the principal fighting of that day. The Reverend John S. C. 
Abbott represents the fighting as having taken place on the 
north-east bank of the creek, but Mr. Abbott was misinformed. 
He was also misinformed as to the spot where General Lyon 
fell. That General was shot some four rods in rear of the First 
Iowa, and was not at the time leading a charge. 

The First Iowa Infantry first formed line of battle on the 
ground in question, and on the left of Dubois' Battery, which 
it was ordered to support. After taking position, Lieutenant- 
Colonel Merritt, commanding the regiment, and who it is but 
just to add distinguished himself by his coolness and courage, 
at once sent out as skirmishers companies D and E, com- 
manded respectively by Lieutenants Keller and Abercrombie. 

The topography of the Wilson Creek battle-ground is nearly 
as follows : Between the Federal and Confederate forces was 
a ravine, penetrating the bluffs of the creek in a semi-circular 
course from the west. Its bed and its sides were partially 
wooded as before stated — enough so, to afford cover to an 
attacking party. On the north bank of this ravine was Lyon, 
and on its south bank, McCulloch. Price had in the bed of 
the ravine, artillery supported by infimtry. Between these 
guns and those of Dubois, an artillery duel opened. For a 
time the infantry engaged each other at long range ; but pres- 
ently the First Kansas, stationed down the hill, were assaulted 
and repulsed, when instantly the First Iowa was ordered for- 
ward to relieve them. Advancing, the regiment met the First 
Kansas retreating in confusion. They dashed through Colonel 



JOHN F. BATES. 31 

Merritt's line, and threw it into disorder, and at tlie very 
instant he received a galling fire from the enemy. Ordei*s 
were given to re-form, but the din of fire-arms and loud talking 
drowned Colonel Merritt's voice, and he was left with only 
trsvo companies. With these he continued to advance. At this 
juncture, the Black Horse Cavalry made their appearance on 
our right and rear. They had gained their position by 
moving through ravines, under cover of timber. They were 
commanded by one Captain George S. Laswell, a former resi- 
dent of Ottumwa. Led on by this man, they were about 
charging Totten's Battery, when the two companies under 
Colonel Merritt, about-facing, delivered a fire that emptied 
several saddles, and placed the rebel captain out of battle ; and 
thus the fight went on. 

In the meantime, rebel infantry had been pushed up the 
ravine, and appeared on our extreme right. They advanced 
rapidly ui^ the hill, delivering a continuous fire, but were re- 
pulsed. They re-formed and advanced again, and were a 
second time repulsed. During the second advance, Lyon fell. 
I should state that before this happened. Major A. B. Porter, 
with companies A, F, D, and E, of the First Iowa, had been 
sent to the rear to watch the Black Horse Cavalry. 

Sigel had, a long time ere this, been defeated, and a portion 
of the rebel troops that had repulsed him were now advancing 
up the north-east bank of the creek. To check these, the Reg- 
ulars were sent across the creek ; but in that quarter there was 
little fighting. The battle was of more than five hour's dura- 
tion. The First Iowa was at the front five hours. Of the 
retreat Colonel Merritt says : 

"About twelve o'clock, M., the order was given to retire 
from the field, which was done in good order. As we retired 
over the hill, we passed a section of Totten's Battery occupying 
a commanding point to the right, and supported on the right 



32 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

by companies A, F, D, and E, of the Iowa troops, under com- 
mand of Major Porter, and on the left by one company of 
Regular Infantry under command of Colonel Lothrop. This 
command sustained our retreat with great coolness and deter- 
mination, under a most terrific fire from the enemy's infantry. 
After the wounded were gathered up, our column formed in 
order of march, and, the enemy repulsed, the battery and 
infantry retired in good order. Thus closed one of the most 
hotly-contested engagements known to the country." 

Such, briefly, was the battle of Wilson's Creek. Though 
imperfect in detail, I believe that, so far as it goes, it is cor- 
rect. Compared, however, with the brilliant accounts of our 
modern war-historians, it would not be recognized as the 
same engagement. It was the first battle of importance fought 
in the South West, and, becoming the theme of exciting com- 
ment in almost every i)aper in the loj-al and disloyal States, 
gradually increased in proportions, till it was in print one 
of the most sanguinary battles of modern times. And it was 
in fact a severely contested and bloody fight ; for the loss of the 
1st Iowa Infantry alone was more than one hundred and fifty. 
This regiment however suflfered more severely than any other 
of the troops, and was acbnitted by all to have borne itself 
with conspicuous gallantry. Captain Alexander L. Mason, a 
native of Indiana, and a resident of Muscatine, was the only 
commissioned ofiicer killed. He fell in a charge at the head of 
his company. Captain Frederick Gottschalk and Lieutenants 
H. Graham and William Pursell were wounded. The loss of 
the regiment in killed was only eleven, though several died 
afterwards of their wounds. Colonel Bates was not present in 
the engagement, though I am advised he made an effbrt to be. 
He was left sick at Springfield. 

The following is the roll of honor, as given by Lieutenant- 
Colonel Merritt : 

"It is with great pleasure that I acknowledge valuable aid 
and assistance from Major A. B. Porter, Adjutant George W. 



JOHN F. BATES. 33 

Waldron, who was wounded in the leg, and Sergeant-Major 
Charles Compt^^n ; and to express my unbounded admiration of 
the heroic conduct displayed by both officers and men. No 
troops, regular or volunteer, ever sustained their country's flag 
with more determined valor and fortitude. They have cov- 
ered themselves with imperishable honor, and must occupy a 
conspicuous place in the history of tlieir country. " 

In this connection, it is proper to state that the term of ser- 
vice of every line officer of the regiment expired on the 
afternoon of that evening in which they marched out to Wil- 
son's Creek ; but not one of them claimed exemption from the 
coming battle. The same can not be said of officers of some 
other troops. The term of service of the enlisted men of the 
1st Iowa Infantry expired four days after the battle. 

Wilson's Creek was a drawai battle ; for, though the Confed- 
erates kept the field, they did not make pursuit. They had 
been severely pumshed; but I doubt if that alone deterred them, 
for, in numbers, their strength exceeded that of the Federals 
more tlian four to one. They had not yet nursed their treason 
to that fanatical point which made it synonymous with patri- 
otism, and they were cowards. 

After the fall of General Lyon, Major, now General Sturgis, 
assumed command of the Federal forces and fell back to 
Springfield, and soon after to Rolla. In the meantime Gen- 
ral Sterling Price, who had succeeded McCulloch in command of 
the rebel forces, occupied the country, and in the latter part 
of the month, moved north and laid siege to, and captured 
Lexington. 

The term of service of the 1st Iowa Infantry had now- 
expired, and, returning to their homes, they were welcomed 
as the first heroes of the State in the war. Wherever they 
appeared, they were looked on with wonder. They had 
gained more distinction in that solitary battle than is now 

accorded our veterans of twenty battles ; but they are the sires 

8 



34 IOWA CX)LONELS AND KEGIMENTS. 

of our military prowess, and who woiilo' detract from their 
hard-earned glory ? 

Colonel Bates is a fine looking man. He is five feet nine 
inches in hight, and has a well develoi^ed and pre-possessing 
person. He has a social disposition, and makes a warm friend 
and a sleepless enemy. I do not admire his political course, 
and may be prejudiced against him ; but this certainly must be 
conceded — he is entitled to much credit for surmounting the 
obstacles of poverty and a deficient education, and for making 
himself what he is. 

The Colonel, I think, was not popular with his regiment. 
He would allow no foraging. In restoring the seceded States 
to their proper functions in the Union, and in establishing 
within their limits a respect for the laws of the Government, 
he believed more in moral suasion than in corporal castigation. 
His ofiicers and men charged him with being too kind to the 
rebels, though they gave him credit of being sincere in his 
convictions. After leaving the service, he continued to act 
and vote with the so-called Peace Party. 



MAJOR-GENERAL SAMUEL R. CURTIS. 

FIRST COLONEL, SECOND INFANTRY. 

Samuel Ryan Curtis, Iowa's distinguished statesman and 
soldier, was the second colonel, and the first general officer 
appointed from the State. He is Iowa's first and oldest major- 
general, and, at the time of entering the service, was more 
widely known than any other officer sent out from the State ; 
for, almost from the State's infancy, he has stood prominent 
among her public men. 

General Curtis was born on the 3d day of February, 1807, 
and calls himself a native of Newark, Licking county, Ohio. 
In point of fact, he was born while his parents were on their 
way from Connecticut to the West, and somewhere in the State 
of New York. He was educated at the West Point Military 
Academy, where he held the highest military office in his class. 
Graduating in 1831, with a brevet second-lieutanancy in the 7th 
Infantry, he was soon after assigned to duty at Fort Gibson in 
the Indian Territory. In the following year, he resigned his 
commission, and returning to Ohio, studied law, and was ad- 
mitted to the bar. From 1837 to 1839, he was chief engineer 
of the Muskingum River Improvement. Later he practiced 
law in Wooster, Ohio, and was actively and successfully en- 
gaged in the practice, when war was declared with Mexico. 
He was now summoned to Columbus by the Governor of Ohio, 
and made adjutant-general of that State ; and not long after was 
commissioned colonel of the 3d Ohio Volunteer Infantry, which 
he led to the field. 

He served on the Northern Line in Mexico under General 

Taylor, and was for a time on the staff of General Wool ; and, 

35 



36 IOWA COLONELS AXD REGIMEXTS. 

as governor, commanded the cities of Matamoras, Camargo 
and Saltillo. 

At the close of tlie war, he returned to Ohio; but finding his 
law business had wasted away during his absence, and being 
urged to take the i>osition of cliief engineer of the Des Moines 
Improvement, he left that State, and coming West, settled in 
Keolcuk, Iowa. He was for a time engaged in the practice of 
the law in the city of Keokuk, and had for partners Colonel 
J. W. Rankin and the Honorable Charles Mason. From 1850 
to 1853, he was engineer-in-charge of the harbor and other 
works of the city of St. Louis, where the dike that he construc- 
ted, which connects Bloody Island to the Illinois shore, will, 
for many years hence, stand a monument to his credit. It 
secures to the city of St. Louis great commercial advantages. 
During the two following years, he was chief engineer of the 
American Central Rail Road, running through Illinois, Iowa, 
and other States. 

In 1856, General Curtis was elected to Congress from the First 
Congressional District of Iowa, and in 1858, and again in 1860, 
was re-elected from the same district. In the canvass of 1860, 
his opponent was thd^Honorable C. C. Cole, now Judge of the 
Supreme Court of Iowa, and one of the ablest debaters and 
most popular men in the State. No better proof could be had 
of the general's ability as a statesman, and of the integrity 
of his record, than this final endorsement of him by the 
people : indeed, nearly every section of his District gave him 
increased majorities. 

From the organization of the party, he has been an earnest 
and consistent Republican ; but that for which he became most 
distinguished in Congress was the part he acted in securing the 
passage of the Pacific Rail Road Act. Others have claimed the 
honor, but he is the father of this enterprise, as is evidenced by 
his elaborate speeches and demonstrations of record in the 



SAMUEL R. CURTIS. 87 

annals of Congress. I should also add that he was a leading 
member of the Committee on Military Affairs. He had, I am 
credibly informed, much to do with the efforts of the House, 
in countervailing the schemes of Jeff Davis, in his manip- 
ulations of our military forces to his base purposes. 

General Curtis' patriotism was always fervent, and, though 
others have made a more brilliant reputation in the war, none 
responded more promptly to the first call of national alarm ; 
and, I may add, none have led armies and fought battles ivifh more 
uniform siiceess. Leaving his home in the West on the first 
news of the attack on Fort Sumter, he started for Washington ; 
and, meeting at Philadelphia the gallant 7th New York, 
Colonel Lefferts, embarked with it on transports for Annapolis. 
Prom that point the march was made through the heat and 
dust by day and night to Washington. Returning to Keokuk, 
he assisted in raising volunteers, and was, on the 1st of June, 
elected colonel of the 2d Iowa Infantry, (the first three-years 
regiment from the State) by the unanimous vote of the officers 
and men. Ten days later and at midnight, he was summoned 
by General Lyon by telegraph to Northern Missouri, and 
marched next day with his regiment for that point. Besidas 
capturing many prisoners, guns &c., he established at once in 
Northern Missouri the military authority of the Federal 
Government. 

In the latter pai-t of June, he left again for Washington to be 
present at the fourth session of Congrass, and while there was 
made a brigadier-general. He now resigned his seat in Con- 
gress, and, reporting at St. Louis, Missouri, was soon after 
placed in conamand, first of Jefferson Barracks, next of the 
Camp of Instruction at Benton Barracks, and finally of the 
St. Louis District. While holding the last named command, 
the President devolved on him the duties connected with the 
change of commanders— a most delicate and painful service, 



38 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

which he neither sought nor desired ; but for the prudence and 
decision he discovered in the discharge of these duties, he re- 
ceived the special thanlvs of Mr. Lincoln. 

In December 1861, General Curtis was placed in command of 
the District of Southwest Missouri, and at once repaired to 
Rolla, where he established his head-quarters. Having organ- 
ized his army in the early part of January 18G2, he marched 
against General Price, and drove him through Missouri and 
Northern Arkansas. On this march, the enemy were encoun- 
tered in several skirmishes and engagements. The culminating 
one was the sanguinary battle of Pea Ridge, Arkansas. It 
resulted in a brilliant victory to the Federal arms, and in the 
restoration of the flag and the authority of the Government in 
that State. 

Although the battle of Pea Ridge was one of the earliest and 
most decisive of the war, yet, I believe, less is known of it, 
than of any other of equal magnitude, especially of those 
fought in the South West. 

In the latter part of January, 1862, nearly four months after 
the march of General Fremont was made from Jefferson City to 
Springfield, General Curtis left Rolla, Missouri, for the purpose 
of capturing or dispersing the rebel army under General Sterling 
Price. His command consisted of the divisions of Sigel, (subse- 
quently Osterhous') Asboth, Davis and Carr, and numbered 
about twelve thousand men. Passing through Lebanon, Marsh- 
field, Springfield and over the old Wilson Creek battle-field, he 
arrived in the vicinity of Pea Ridge on the evening of the 20th of 
February. He first met the enemy north of Springfield — though 
neither there, nor at any point between that and Sugar Creek, 
did he meet with determined resistance. Shortly before the 
arrival of Curtis at Sugar Creek, Price had been re-info reed by 
McCulloch, and, in consequence of this, quite a severe engage- 
ment took place at the above named point. At Sugar Creek, 



SAMUEL B. CURTIS. 39 

Sigel, who had made a detour, rejoined the main army, 
which now pressed on to Osage Springs, a position which 
flanked Cross Hollows, the rebel strong-hold, and compelled its 
evacuation by McCulloch. From the 21st of February to the 
5th of March, General Curtis' forces remained in this vicin- 
ity, the enemy in the meantime collecting all his forces in 
the front. Being informed of the enemy's great increase of 
strength, and his designs to assume the offensive. General Cur- 
tis ordered all his several divisions, by different routes, to 
fall back to Sugar Creek and Pea Ridge to give battle, should 
the enemy force one. At this time General Sigel was near 
Bentonville, Carr was at Cross Hollows, while General Jeffer- 
son C. Davis was already on Sugar Creek, just at the base of 
Pea Ridge. 

On the morning of the 5th of March, Captain H. H. Griffiths, 
of the 4th Iowa Infantry, (subsequently of the 1st Iowa Battery) 
who was field-officer of the day, found the picket-line in com- 
motion, and, on inquiry, learned that a government foraging 
train had been captured. Soon after it was learned from scouts, 
contrabands and from loyal citizens, living in the vicinity of 
Cross Hollows, that General Van Dorn, having formed a junc- 
tion with Price, was advancing to give battle, and that night 
Colonel Carr, under orders and accompanied by General Curtis, 
marched back to Sugar Creek, a distance of fourteen miles. 
That same afternoon, GenerarSigel also received orders at his 
camp near Bentonville, to forthwith move back to Sugar Creek, 
distant about sixteen miles ; for General Curtis was now satis- 
fied that a great battle was imminent, and it was his purpose 
to concentrate at Pea Ridge, and engage the enemy from that 
strong position. Colonel Vandever, of the 9th Iowa Infantry, 
who was near Huntsville, in command of a brigade, was 
ordered to march day and night till he reached the place 
designated. 



40 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

Pea Ridge, Arkansas, is a narrow plateau, running nearly 
east and west, and lying near the Boston Mountains. Along 
its southern base is the historic stream of Sugar Creek, whose 
northern bank is in many places precipitous, rising to the 
hight of two or three hundred feet. On its top, Pea Ridge has 
a few cultivated fields ; but for the most part is covered with a 
short and stinted growth of oak of great density. Its northern 
slope is gradually descending, and terminating in wild, deep 
ravines. Just north of these ravines are abrupt, rocky and 
rugged hills, and, among and in the vicinity of these, is the 
celebrated Cross Timber Hollows, so named, it is said, from 
the heavy timber which was felled there by General McCulloch, 
in October 18G1, to block the advance of General Fremont, in 
his march from Springfield. Running along through Cross 
Timber Hollows, and over Pea Ridge and Sugar Creek, is the 
Wire, or Butterfield road. Its course is nearly due north and 
south. Branching off from this road to the west, and about four 
miles north of Sugar Creek, is the Lee towTi road, which, after 
passing through a small village by that name, bears round to 
the south to Bentonville. It was over this last named road 
that General Sigel fell back to Pea Ridge. Carr returned with 
his division from Cross Hollows, over the Wire road; Cross 
Hollows lying south of Pea Ridge, and, as I have said, some 
fourteen miles distant from it. 

On the morning of the 6th of March, the divisions of both 
Carr and Davis were at Sugar Creek, and in position, throwing 
up temporary field-works, while the command of Sigel was 
just moving out of Bentonville; and here it was that Sigel first 
met the enemy. It happened in this wise: having halted in 
Bentonville with a small force until after the departure of the 
greater part of his command, he was attacked by the rebel 
army and almost completely surrounded. Forming his small 
force— scarcely six hundred men— he broke through the ene- 



SAMUEL R. CURTIS. 41 

my's lines and, though still closely pursued and his flanks 
severely pressed, marched for several hours, sustaining an almost 
continuous engagement; indeed, the enemy did not cease their 
attacks until the arrival of reinforcements, sent and led by 
General Curtis in person. That he was not entirely cut off and 
compelled to surrender was due as well to the superior discip- 
line of the troops, as to the skill displayed by Greneral Sigel, in 
managing his rear defences. Thus the enemy were checked, 
and Sigel arrived safely on the north bank of Sugar Creek. 

At midnight on the 6th of March, the position of General 
Curtis' forces were as follows: The enemy were expected to 
advance from the south across Sugar Creek valley, and the 
troops of General Curtis were therefore drawn up in line of 
battle on the high bluffs, facing that valley. Davis' and Carr's 
divisions held the left, and Sigel's and Asboth's the right ; and 
the whole front was defended by strong works, thrown up 
during the day and night. The commissary-stores had been 
sent back to the rear to Elkhorn Tavern, and placed under 
charge of Major Weston, provost-marshal of the army ; for it 
was supposed that that was a place of safety. Early on the 
morning of the 7th instant. General Curtis became convinced, 
from the reports of his scouts, that a heavy body of the enemy 
was moving round his right, for the purpose of attacking his 
right flank and rear. A change of front to the rear was there- 
fore ordered, so as to face the road west, along which the enemy 
were now advancing. Before this movement had been com- 
pleted, a detachment of cavalry and light artillery, well sup- 
ported by infantry under Colonels Osterhaus and Bussey was 
ordered from the new centre. Its object was to attack the 
enemy while they were moving by the flank. But in the 
meantime Major Weston was attacked at Elkhorn Tavern, 
by rebel infantry. Elkhorn Tavern was the point where the 
new right was to rest, and Carr's Division was already on its 



42 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

way to reinforce Major Weston's command, and to order the 
train to a place of safety. It was this prompt movement on 
the part of General Curtis that saved him his army, and for 
the coolness and judgment that prompted it, he is entitled to 
great credit. Nor is it true, as has often been stated, that 
General Sigel, at Pea Eidge, saved the Federal army from de- 
feat and capture. He did well the duties of a subordinate 
officer, and is entitled to great praise for the manner in which 
he wrested his mere handful of men from the enemy's grasp 
at Benton ville ; but, on the 7th of March, and after the change 
of front, he held the extreme left which was not engaged at 
all. 

A civilian has no idea of the extent of country embraced in 
the lines of a great battle, and will be surprised when told that 
the right and centre of Curtis' line at Pea Ridge were several 
miles apart. He can better understand that to handle troops 
successfully under such circumstances, requires great coolness 
and judgment — and that is just what makes a good general. 

The fighting now opened on the right and in the centre with 
great fury ; and in the centre the enemy were at first successful. 
The Federal cavalry, sent out under Osterhaus and Bussey, 
were routed and lost their artillery ; and General Curtis there- 
fore ordered Davis to Osterhaus' support. On arriving, he 
assumed command, for he was the senior officer ; and now the 
centre was held firmly. Soon Davis assumed the offensive, 
and assaulting the enemy, re-captured the lost battery, and 
either killed or mortally wounded Generals Mcintosh and 
Slack. McCulloch had been killed before Davis came up. 

In the meantime General Carr had met the enemy and 
fought a most unequal and terrible battle on the right. 
Opposed to his division were the commands of both Price and 
Van Dom. From sun-rise to near sun-set, Carr fought with 
but few reinforcements, and, though his troops displayed the 



SAMUEL B. CURTIS. ^^ 

greatest bravery, he had, toward night, been forced back 
Lrly a n.Ue ; and now his troops had left but little ammun. 

tion. 

The enemy now having developed their strength and posi- 
tion, it became evident to General Curtis that he must re-form 
US me ; and the order was promptly given. He divmed the 
object of the enemy, which was to force bacU h.s nght cut off 
2 lines Of retreat, and dash his army to pieces agarnst the Bos- 
ton Mount-ains. The commands of Sigel, Davis, Ashoth and 
Osterhaus were brought up from the left and ^nt.e, and 
„„own into position, facing the north and eonfrontmg^h 
main body of the enemy under Price and ^an Dom. But 
while this movement was in progress. General Curtis, m com- 
pany with Asboth and a small portion of his division, rode 
I the right to the immediate relief of Carr, who, by this 
time, as I have said, had been driven back nearly a mile. 
Biding on to the ground he met the 4th Iowa Infantry, who, 
having fired their last cartridge, were gradually yielding 
ground to the enemy. He at once ordered them to about- 
Le and charge the enemy, which they did in such gallant 
style as to check their further advance that night. During 
the night, the troops were afforded rest and sleep, and fresh 
supplies of ammunition, and early on the following morning 
the struggle was renewed. I should not omit to state that 
during the night a third and last line was formed ; and it wa^ 
now for the first time quite continuous. Carr held the right 
as he had done the entire day before, Davis the centre and 
Asboth and Sigel the left; but these last troops did not get 
into position tiU after the fighting of the morning begun. 
The right and centre was the only part of the line engaged, 
and the fighting was being principaUy done by the artillery. 
Soon Sigel came up on the left, and forced the enemy's right 
from a strong position it had taken up on one of the hills m 



44 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

Cross Timber PIollows. It was now the moment of victory, 
seeing which General Curtis ordered a general charge. The 
enemy struggled fiercely for a moment, but their lines were 
soon broken at all points, and they fled in utter rout from the 
field. But for one thing, large numbers of them would 
have been captured— Cross Timber Hollows gave them a sure 
and almost unmolested way of retreat. 

It was a splendid victory ! For his bravery, watchfulness 
and skill. General Curtis well deserved to be made a major- 
general ; and only thirteen days after the last day's battle, he 
was promoted to that rank. General Sigel received a like pro- 
motion ; but, on account of ill health, was soon after compelled 
to leave the field. He never returned to the Army of the 
South West. 

After remaining in the vicinity of the battle-ground for 
nearly a month, the enemy no longer appearing in any force 
near his front, General Curtis, by a difficult march, moved 
across the Boston Mountains to Batesville, on White River. 
Here he remained till the 23d of the following June, when he 
began his celebrated march through Arkansas to Helena. At 
that day it was a celebrated undertaking, and the papers 
throughout the country were filled with its recital ; but to-day, 
when contrasted with the wonderful movements of Sherman, 
it seems only an ordinary affair. The skirmishes and engage- 
ments which resulted from this movement will be given 
elsewhere. That was now accomplished which General Fre- 
mont claimed he would have effected six months earlier, had 
his hands not been tied by the President — the west bank of 
the Mississippi was gained at a point below Memphis. 

General Curtis remained at Helena until the following Aug- 
ust. His head-quarters were established at the magnificent 
residence of the rebel General Hindman, which is situated 
near the base of one of the hills that look down on that sickly, 



SAMUEL R. CURTIS. 45 

detestable village. While here he organized many expeditions, 
one of which penetrated the waters of the Yazoo River. 
Another went do\\Ti the Mississippi, and captured a partially- 
prepared battery ; and still another was sent to Richmond, a 
considerable town in Louisiana, eighteen miles west of Vieks- 
burg. It was through this same town that Grant marched, 
when on his way to the rear of Vicksburg. 

But, though burdened with the cares of a large military 
command, General Curtis did not forget that magnificent 
enterprise, for the success of which he had, in civil life, labored 
so untiringly, and, I may add, so successfully. Having been 
made one of the corporators, he obtained a leave of absence 
from the War Department to attend the Pacific Railroad Con- 
vention at Chicago. He was chosen and acted as President of 
that body. In the future, that assemblage will be looked upon 
a.s a land-mark of a new era ; for it organized and inaugurated 
the great work which is now in progress, to connect the two 
oceans and bind the continent together ^^'ith iron bands. 

0]i the 19th of September, 1862, General Curtis was assigned 
to the command of the Department of the Missouri, with 
head-quarters at St. Louis. At that time this department 
included the States of Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, the Territo- 
ries of Nebraska, Colorado, and the Indian Territory. The 
military forces consisted of the armies of the South West, the 
Frontier, and South-ea^t INIissouri. The department was sub- 
sequently diminished by the withdrawal of Arkansas. While 
in command of this department, his troops fought the following 
battles : Cane Hill, Old Town, Wayne, Prairie Grove, Spring- 
field, Hartsville, Cape Girardeau, besides capturing Fort Smith 
and Van Buren, Arkansas. There were also many skirmishes 
and engagements of lesser note. But General Curtis was too 
radical for that early day of the struggle. His anti-Slavery 
spirit was distasteful to the conservative governor of Missouri, 



46 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

and, harassed by the importunities of that official, and other 
influential conservative men of the State, the President relieved 
the general of his command, after a successful and, with the 
true friends of the Government, a popular administration of 
eight months. The President expressly stated that he had no 
fault to find with the general's administration, but that he 
was willing to yield to the wishes of the conservative party, 
headed by Governor Gamble, and see, if by inaugurating a 
more lenient policy, he could not conciliate hostile factions, and 
heal the breach in the Union Party of Missouri. But the Pres- 
dent, though honest in his intentions, (as he always has been), 
was in error, as the subsequent triumph of anti-Slavery princi- 
ples in that State evidences. Indeed, the history of the Balti- 
more Convention of 1864 is conclusive proof in this matter; 
for the Missouri delegation was the only one which cast its 
vote against Mr. Lincoln in that body. 

General Curtis' next command was the Department of Kan- 
sas, to which he was assigned the first day of January, 1864. 
It included Kansas, and the Territories of Nebraska and Colo- 
rado, with head-quarters at Fort Leavenworth. Fort Smith 
and the Indian Territory were at first included, but these 
were subsequently given to General Steele, whose head- 
quarters were at Little Rock. During the summer and fall of 
1864, the general was engaged in protecting the exposed settle- 
ments on the frontier from the depredations of hostile Indians, 
and in guarding lines of travel west. He was at Fort Leaven- 
worth, and his troops scattered in every quarter of his com- 
mand, when he first learned of the rapid and almost unopposed 
march of Price into Missouri. The course of the rebel general 
was bearing toward the borders of Kansas, and General 
Curtis, although his available force was scarcely three thousand 
men, began preparations to meet him. The Kansas Militia 
were at once organized under General Deitzler, and, with the 



SAMUEL E. CURTIS. 47 

volunteer forces under General Blunt, General Curtis took the 
field. The part taken by the general in routing and driving 
Price from Missouri was active and successful. I quote from a 
statement of one of his staff ofl&cers: 

" The sudden rallying of the people of Kansas, under Curtis, 
checked the movements of Price, who had boasted that he 
would capture Fort Leavenworth and city, and lay the State 
waste. The first resistance actually confronting the advance of 
Price was the advance of General Blunt, under Curtis, at Lex- 
ington, on October 19th. " 

" Rosecrans and Pleasanton were south-east of the rebel gen- 
eral, while Curtis, Blunt and Deitzler, with their little band of 
volunteers, were to his west, near Kansas City, on the border 
of Kansas. Blunt advanced to Lexington, where he was 
attacked by Price, and, as he was ordered only to feel the 
enemy, fell back to the Little Blue. In the battles of Little 
Blue and Big Blue, on the 20th and 22d of October, Curtis 
delayed the advance of the rebel general, and held him a 
severe engagement. At Westport, on the 23d, the battle was 
renewed ; and General Curtis, with his whole force, completely 
checked Price's westward movement, and turned him south. 
After the rebel retreat had commenced, Pleasanton joined in 
pursuit, and the retreat became a rout. Price was driven south 
along the border of Kansas. 

" After the battle of Westport, Price successively fought and 
lost the battles of Marias des Ci/gnes, [Swamp of the Swans] 
Mine Creek, Osage, and on October 25th, the battle of Char- 
lotte, losing two thousand men and two guns. The rebel 
generals Marmaduke and Cabell were captured, and large 
quantities of Price's equipments were burned and scattered in 
the retreat. The rebel generals Graham and Slemmons were 
killed. Price passed within a few miles of the richly stored 
military depot of Fort Scott ; but was too closely pressed to 
attempt its capture. The same night he burned five hundred of 
his wagons, and a large quantity of his stores. The pursuit 
was continued on October 26th, and on the 28th, at Granby, the 
rebel rear-guard was struck. At Newtonia, five miles beyond, 
Blunt, being in advance, attacked the enemy with parts of two 
brigades, holding his ground for three hours, until the arrival 
of Curtis with Sanborn's Brigade on the field. The enemy 



48 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

was soon routed, and again retreated in great disorder, having 
lost some six hundred men. On this night Rosecrans with- 
drew all his forces, and, as the Kansas Militia had been dis 
banded at Fort Scott, General Curtis' whole force did not now 
exceed twenty-two hundred men. 

" The next day, in accordance with orders from Lieutenant- 
General Grant, Curtis continued the pursuit of Price. The 
Missouri troops were included in the order; but for some 
reason did not overtake General Curtis. At Keetsville, Colonel 
Benton with a small brigade of veterans of the 16th Army 
Corps, making Curtis' force about three thousand men, joined 
in the pursuit, which was continued over the old Pea Ridge 
battle-ground to Cross Hollows. From this point a forced 
march was made to the relief of Fayetteville, for three days 
invested by Price's forces, who hastily retired, on the approach 
of General Curtis, who, they supposed, still retained the whole 
force that operated in Missouri. The pursuit was continued 
over Cane Hill battle-ground, and through a portion of the 
Indian Territory, to a point on the Arkan.sas River, thirty 
miles above Fort Smith. Here, on November 8th, Price suc- 
ceeded in crossing the river, a parting volley of shells being- 
fired at his rear. General Curtis now returned by easy marches 
to Fort Leavenworth. 

" In a campaign of thirty-eight days, a march of nearly one 
thousand miles had been accomplished ; nine battles had been 
fought, with a Union loss of eighteen hundred men, killed and 
wounded. From Lexington to Cane Hill, the rebels admitted 
a loss of ten thousand five hundred killed, wounded and miss- 
ing. General Curtis was welcomed back to his post with a 
grand reception by the people of Leavenworth ; and the Legis- 
lature of Kansas tendered him their thanks for his noble 
defense of the State, and recommended his promotion in the 
regular army." 

Greneral Curtis has recently been assigned to the command of 
the Department of the North West, with head-quarters at Mil- 
waukee, Wisconsin. It is the same command recently held by 
Major-General John Pope, including the States of Wisconsin, 
Minnesota and Iowa, and the Territories of Dacotah and 
Idaho. 

If we except two instance?, General Curtis has served with- 



SAMUEL R. CURTIS. 49 

out reproach, from the time he entered the war to the present. 
He was charged with dealing in cotton, while commanding in 
Arkansas, and rebels gave their affidavits to impeach him ; but 
the President was kind enough to inform the general of the 
secret assaults on his character, and the overAvhelming proof 
which he offered of the integrity of his command in Arkansas, 
not only served with tlie President, but with the people, as a 
full vindication against the foul slander. He was also charged 
with appropriating two camels, which he had captured from 
the enemy, the remnant of those imported by the Government 
to traverse the sandy plains of the Southern Overland Route ; 
but, on inquiry, it appeared that they were kept by, and prop- 
erly accounted for, by the staff quarter-master, awaiting, at 
any time, the disposiil of the Government. It further appeared 
that they were only sent to Iowa to secure them from re-cap- 
ture, and to preserve them for the Government, to which they 
rightfully and notoriously belonged. Even the genial-hearted 
Claggett, editor of the Keokuk " Constitution," and the bitter 
political opponent of General Curtis, vindicated him from this 
unjust and unmanly charge. 

Of the Iowa major-generals. General Curtis is the largest in 
person. He has a tall, fine form, and, though nearly sixty 
years of age, is erect and vigorous. His large, hazel eyes give 
his countenance an expression of gravity and thoughtfulness 
which comports well with the dignity of his movements and 
manners. But, if he is sedate, and if he never laughs boister- 
ously, he is nevertheless easily approached and sociable ; he is 
kind and generous-hearted, and would not knowingly injure 
the feelings of the most humble or unfortunate. 

He has one trait which is not in keeping with his general 
character. He is nice and precise in dress, and in this respect 
has been noted for the scrupulousness with which he has com- 
plied with the Army Regulations. He never, when on duty, 

4 



50 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

omits a reg-ulation trapping. In many respects he is not unlike 
General Grant ; but not in this. 

Intellectually, General Curtis is not brilliant. He has excel- 
lent judgment, and great available ability. To these, and to 
unremitting labor, he is indebted for what he is. He is a most 
excellent mathematician, and, as a civil-engineer, has I believe 
no superior in the West. This remarkal)le endowment made 
him the leader in Congress of the great Pacific Railroad enter- 
prise. 

As a soldier, General Curtis is able, magnanimous and brave ; 
and why, against his known wishes, he has recently been kept 
from the front, I do not understand. Perhaps he too much 
resembles the great military chieftain of the day ; for I have 
noticed that, in nearly every instance, commands at the front 
have been given to those who, as regards sprighfliness and dash, 
are the direct opposites of General Grant. 

General Curtis has a proud record, whether before, or during 
the AVar of the Rebellion ; and when this great conflict shall 
have closed, and a true love of the Nation's ancient motto 
re-enshrined in the hearts of all, he will stand, with the honest 
historian, as one of the most practical and deserving men of 
his day. 



BRIGADIER-GENERAL JAMES M. TUTTLE. 

SECOND COLONEL, SECOND INFANTRY. 

General James Madison Tuttle, was born near Summer- 
field, Monroe county, Ohio, on the 24th of September, 1823 ; and 
was educated at "the people's college" — the Common School. 
Emigrating to Indiana with his father's family, in the winter 
of 1833, he settled in Fayette county, whence, after a residence 
of thirteen years, he removed to Farmington, Van Buren 
county, Iowa, where he soon after engaged in mercantile pur- 
suits. 

Prior to entering the United States Service, General Tuttle 
was a quiet citizen, and not known to any great extent, outside 
of his own county. In the fall of 1855, he was elected to the 
office of sheriff of Van Buren county, and in 1857, to that of 
treasurer and recorder, and was known as a prompt, honora- 
ble and accurate official — but nothing further. He cared little 
for public eclat ; and what little public life he had seen, was 
not so much attributable to his own efforts, as to the solicitation 
and labor of his friends. In his case, as in many others, the 
war developed latent powers that otherwise would doubtless 
have remained dormant. 

Early in 1861, in response to the call of the President for sev- 
enty-five thousand men, General Tuttle closed up his business 
hastily, and recruited a company, of which he was elected cap- 
tain ; but the quota of the State's three-months men being 
already full, his company, in the following May, was assigned 
to the 2d Iowa Infantry. At its rendezvous, he was chosen 
lieutenant-colonel of that regiment, and on the 6th of the fol- 
lowing September, was made its colonel. 

51 



52 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

There are few officers, who have a better military record than 
General Tuttle — nonea fairer; and from the time he led his 
regiment in its gallant and reckless charge against Fort Don- 
elson till August, 1863, when he accepted the Democratic nom- 
ination for Governor of Iowa, there were none, except confessed 
sympathizers with the rebellion, who were not loud in his 
praise ; — and he merited his great popularity. 

That the 2d Iowa Infantry, Colonel James M. Tuttle com- 
manding, and the glory incident to the capture of Fort Don- 
elson are inseparable, is known not only in Iowa, but in 
every loyal State ; but, it is not so generally known that the 
tender of the "forlorn hope" had been previously made by 
General Smith to several other regiments, by all of which, 
through their commanders, it had been declined. 

" Colonel, will you take those works ? " 

" Support me promptly, and in twenty minutes I will go 
in. " 

And he did go in ; but the glory was dearly purchased. The 
dangers met, and the obstacles encountered and overcome in 
this assault, were of the most prodigious character ; and the 
heroism that inspired the assailants has never been fully ap- 
preciated. It is without question the most gallant, reckless 
and successful charge of the whole war. On the right of the 
Fort Henry, or Dover Road, a fierce struggle had been going on 
during all the forenoon of the loth, with results so favorable to 
the enemy that, abandoning their purposes of retreating, they 
returned to their works, confident of being able to force the en- 
tire Federal position ; and, to show that their hopes of success 
were not unreasonable, it is only necessary to state that with 
the exception of a few regiments — only two brigades — the 
whole Federal force had been encountered and sadly worsted. 
McClernand and Wallace had both been defeated. I am aware 
that the Rev. John S. C. Abbott, our able and pleasant histori- 



JAMES M. TUTTLE. 53 

an, does not corroborate this statement ; nor does the rebel Gen- 
eral Pillow, whom Mr. Abbott cites as authority; but the 
former was doubtless misinformed, and, as for the latter, he 
would not tell the truth if a lie would better suit his purpose. 
Indeed his own flaming dispatch, forwarded to Nashville just 
on the eve of the Confederate successes, contradicts his official 
report of the battle— " On the honor of a soldier, the day is 
ours;" and so at that hour it was. 

In the disposition of the Federal troops at Fort Donelson, 
the 2d Iowa Infantry held the extreme left of General Grant's 
forces. Its position from the rebel lines, at the point where the 
attack was to be made, and where, I may add, a whole brigade 
had made an assault the day before and been repulsed, was 
some six hundred yards distant. The character of the ground, 
intervening between the 2d Iowa and the intrenched line of 
the enemy, was such as to throw all the advantages in the 
enemy's favor. In front of the regiment, and just beyond the 
open field in which it formed for the charge, was a ravine 
whose sides, thickly lined with tangled brush, were very diffi- 
cult of passage. Beyond, was the steep, obstructed hill-side, 
along the crest of which, and parallel to the ravine, were the 
earth- works of the enemy. Not more than one hundi-ed yards 
in front of these works was a formidable abattis, to pass which 
an assaulting column must break its line of battle, and move 
by the flank. Beyond the abattis there were no obstructions 
except the enemy's breast-works. 

The assaulting party consisted of three hundred men of the 
2d Iowa, under Colonel, afterwards General Tuttle; and here 
Mr. Abbott is again in error ; for he says : " General Smith led 
the charge on horseback. It was a sublime sight, as this mass 
of troops, in unbroken line emerged from the woods, and com- 
menced its firm, resolute, silent tramp up the steep hill in the 
face of the battery of the foe. " General Smith remained at 



54 IOWA COLONELS AND BEGIMENTS. 

the foot of the hill till the charge had been made, and the 
enemy's defenses gained. 

But to return: Wh^ all was in readiness, the order to 
advance was given, when Colonel Tuttle, with the left wing of 
his regiment, forcing his way through the ravine, began scal- 
ing the hill-side. The abattis was reached, and that obstruc- 
tion passed without the firing of scarcely a gun, but the instant 
after, and hardly before the gallant band had again come into 
line, it received the concentrated fire of three rebel infantry 
regiments — not less than two thousand men. The slaughter 
was terrible. At the first fire, one hundred and fifty of these 
three hmidred gallant men fell, either dead or wounded. 
Among them were the lamented captains, Slaymaker and 
Cloutman. But the ardor of the surviving was in no manner 
cooled. Their good name had been impeached at St. Louis, by 
an unjust and unwarranted order of General Hamilton ; and 
the last man was to die or be a victor. Without a perceptible 
halt, the assaulting party, closing up its ranks, moved steadily 
on. Such daring was too much for the enemy ; and two whole 
regiments, with the exception of a few men who were promptly 
put to the bayonet, fled from their defences in precipitate 
flight. A Mississippi regiment to the right, still remained ; 
but, the right wing of the 2d Iowa now coming up, this also 
fled to the ravine below. 

The key to the rebel position had now been wrested from 
the enemy, and yet the fighting was not more than half done. 
Between the main fort and the position the 2d Iowa now held 
was a deep ravine, through which the enemy having passed, 
had taken up a position on the high ground, which bounded 
its opposite side. Colonel Tuttle, wishing to avail himself of 
their present fright, promptly formed his regiment, and moved 
against them. He had reached the ravine, and was engaging 
the enemy, when that Indiana regiment, just having gained the 



JAMES M. TUTTLE. 55 

hill for the first time, commenced pouring a severe musketry- 
fire upon his rear. Momentary confusion followed. Colonel 
Tuttle first waved his sword, and in other ways endeavored to 
induce the Indianians to cease their firing; but they believed 
they were engaging the enemy, and no token but the white 
flag would they accept. Alarmed for the safety of his own regi- 
ment, Colonel Tuttle now determined to run back to them, 
and inform them in person of their mistake ; but he had not 
gone far before he stopped short, and, turning his face in the 
direction of the enemy's fire, began moving backward. The 
reason for this maneuver of the colonel was then unknown, 
and for sometime after; but it afterwards turned out that he 
was fearful of being shot in the back by the enemy, which he had 
declared should never happen. My informant was a member 
of his old regiment. 

Order was now restored. In the meantime General Smith, 
having come on the hights to superintend movements in per- 
son, recalled the 2d Iowa, and, with the other troops of his 
command, stationed the regiment behind the captured works 
of the enemy. Random firing was kept up till late in the 
evening, and the next morning the fort surrendered. 

Fifteen thousand prisoners, many ordnance stores, and 
much other property, were the fruits of the victory. There 
were other fruits, though these were not to be relished by the 
public palate. The commander-in-chief, and every division 
commander in the fight, were made major-generals, and every 
brigade commander was made a brigadier. The 2d Iowa 
Infantry, therefore, not only made U. S. Grant, C. F. Smith, 
J. A. McClernand and Lew Wallace, major-generals; but 
Lauman and some ten others, brigadiers. It also broke the 
line of the enemy's defences, which extended in the South 
West, fi'om Bowling Green to Columbus, and opened up the 
enemy's country south, to the Memphis and Charleston 



56 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

Railroad. The regiment did still more; it forced General 
Johnson to evacuate Bowling Green, captured Buckner, and 
frightened into flight Pillow at Fort Donelson, and compelled 
Polk to evacuate Columbus, on the Mississippi. Glorious old 
Begiment ! Well might General Halleck say : " The 2d Iowa 
proved themselves the bravest of the brave." Richly did 
the regiment deserve its place in the van of the triumphal 
march into the rebel stronghold ! 

And yet, after the surrender of the fort, the colonel of the 
Indiana regiment, wlio had ordered his men to fire into the 2d 
Iowa, had the impudence to claim the honor of being the first 
in the enemy's works ; but in justice to General Smith, let me 
say, his claims were met only by reprimands and cursings. 

In adding the roll of honor, I shall quote from the official 
report of Colonel Tuttle : 

"When I come to speak of those who particularly distin- 
guished themselves for coolness and bravery, so many exam- 
ples occur to me that it seems invidious to make distinctions. 
Of those few who were in the most responsible positions, Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Baker, Major Chipman and Adjutant Tuttle, to 
say that they were cool and brave would not do them justice. 
They were gallant to perfection. Lieutenant-Colonel Baker had 
a ball pass through his cap and come out near his temple. 
Major Chipman was among the first to fall, severely wounded, 
while cheering on the men of the left wing, and refused to be 
carried from the field ; but waved his sword and exhorted the 
men to press forward. Captains Slaymaker and Cloutman fell 
dead, at the head of their companies, before they reached 
the entrenchments. Near them also fell Lieutenant Harper. 
His death was that of a true and brave soldier. Captains 
Cox, Mills, Moore and Wilkins were at the head of their 
companies, marked examples of gallantry and efficiency. 
Lieutenants Schofield, Ensign, Davis, Holmes, Huntington, 
Weaver, Mastic, Snowdon and Godfrey— in fact nearly all of 
my officers, commissioned and non-commissioned, deported 
themselves nobly throughout the engagement. Sergeant-Major 
Brawner deserves very honorable mention for his gallant con- 



JAMES M. TUTTLE. 57 

duct. Surgeons Marsh and Nassau also deserve the highest 
praise for their skill and untiring devotion to the welfare of 
the wounded. Dr. Nassau was particularly noticed for his 
bravery on the field, taking off the wounded during a heavy 
fire of the enemy." 
I cannot omit, in this report, an account of the color-guard : 
*' Color-Sergeant Doolittle fell early in the engagement, pierced 
by four balls, and dangerously wounded. The colors were 
then taken by Corporal Page, company B, who soon fell dead. 
They were again raised by Corporal Churcher, company I, 
who had his arm broken, just as he entered the entrench- 
ments, when they were taken by Corporal Twombly, com- 
pany F, who was almost instantly knocked down by a spent 
ball, but immediately rose and bore them gallantly to the end 
of the fight. Not a single man of the color-guard but himself 
was on his feet at the close of the engagement." 

At Shiloh, Colonel Tuttle was placed in command of a brig- 
ade, where he won new laurels. His command consisted of 
the 2d, 7th, 12th, and 14th Iowa regiments, and, with it, he 
held a portion of that line which saved the Federal army from 
capture. After the fall of General W. H. L. Wallace, in that 
deadly cross-fire of the enemy, and just at the mouth of that 
flanking swoop that swallowed up the 8th, 12th, and 14th 
Iowa, Colonel Tuttle, at the request of Captain McMichael, 
General Smith's acting assistant adjutant-general, assumed 
command of the division, which he held the remainder of 
that day, and until the enemy were finally repulsed and driven 
from the field. At Shiloh, he showed himself to be cool and 
calculating in danger, and on the 9th of the following June, he 
was rewarded with the commission of a brigadier-general. 
Subsequently to his promotion to the rank of a general officer, 
and until the spring of 1864, when he left the service. General 
Tuttle, a principal portion of the time, commanded a division 
in the field. During the fall of 1862, and the following winter, 
he was in command at Cairo, Illinois; but, in the spring of 
1863, was relieved and placed in command of the 3d Division, 



68 IOWA COLONELS AND BEGIMENTS. 

loth Army Corps. He joined Sherman in the march through 
Jaclvson to the rear of Vieksburg, and, in the assault and cap- 
ture of Jackson on the 14th of May, was with his division in the 
advance. His division moved against the south side of the 
rebel capital, while General Crocker's made the assault on the 
west. 

There is a solitary political chapter in General Tuttle's his- 
tory. He was the Democratic candidate for Governor of Iowa, 
at the fall election of 1863, and the following brief extract from 
his Address to the People will show his views upon the all-ab- 
sorbing political question of the day." 

" I am in favor of a vigorous prosecution of the war to the 
full extent of our power, until the rebellion is suppressed, and 
of using all means that may be in our possession, recognized 
by honorable warfare, for that purpose. I am for the Union 
without an ?/, and regardless of whether Slavery stands or falls 
by its restoration ; and in iavor of peace on no other terms than 
the unconditional submission of the rebels to the constituted 
authorities of the Government of the United States." 

In size General Tuttle is above the medium, with broad, 
square shoulders, and weighing one hundred and ninety 
pounds. He has a sanguine, bilious temperament ; light, florid 
complexion ; and gray eyes. His mental and physical organ- 
ism seem to be in perfect sympathy ; for he is slow of speech, 
and slow in action. He has none of the dash of Sheridan ;— he 
is more like General Grant — slow and sure. Ordinarily he 
does not draw conclusions rapidly ; but, if the circmnstances be 
such as to give him no time for deliberation, he seems equal to 
emergencies, for his judgments are nearly always correct. He 
is naturally modest, unassuming and unostentatious. He has 
large hope, but little self-esteem, and lacks confidence in his 
own ability. But he is stubborn, and his deliberate opinions 
are not easily shaken. 



COLONEL JAMES BAKER. 

THIRD COLONEL, SECOND INFANTRY. 

Colonel James Baker of the 2d Iowa Infantry, who fell 
mortally wounded, while leading his regiment in a charge 
against the enemy at Corinth, was a native of Gallatin county, 
Kentucky, where he was born the 25th of December, 1823. 
He was reared and educated in Shelbyville, Indiana, where 
his father removed with his family in his son's infancy. In 
1852, he came to Iowa and settled in Bloomfield, Davis county. 
At Bloomflold, he entered the practice of law, in partnership 
with his brother-in-law, H. H. Trimble, to which he devoted 
his exclusive attention from 1855 to 1861. He was a successful 
lawyer and had, at the outbreak of the war, secured an exten- 
sive practice. 

In April, 1861, Mr. Baker entered the Volunteer Service, as 
captain of company G, 2d Iowa Infantry. He was the first 
volunteer from Davis county, and enrolled his name in the 
old Methodist Church of Bloomfield. Entering the field with 
his regiment, he served with it with the rank of captain, till 
the 2d of November, 1861; when he was promoted to the 
lieutenant-colonelcy of his regiment. Less than eight months 
later, he succeeded General Tuttle to the colonelcy. 

The history of the 2d Iowa Infantry, from the 22d of June, 
1862, (the date of Colonel Baker's commission) till September 
following, is nearly the same as that of all the Federal troops 
camped at and in the vicinity of Corinth: the regiment did 
little except camp- and picket-duty. 

Corinth, Mississippi, where, on the 3d and 4th of October, 
1862, was fought one of the most important and decisive 

59 



60 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

battles of the war, especially in the South West, and where 
the 2cl Iowa Infantry, for more than a year was stationed or 
garrison-duty, is a point to which attaches much interest in the 
history of the war. It was the first Confederate town of conse 
quence in the South West besieged by the Federal forces. I 
is situated in the north-east corner of Mississippi, and is at th< 
point of intersection of the Memphis and Charleston, and th( 
Mobile and Ohio Railroads. To the enemy, it was a place o 
great importance. 

From the 30th of May, 1862, the date of the place's evacuatioi 
by Beauregard, till the early part of the following September 
every thing remained quiet at Corinth. Indeed, no considerabL 
rebel force was in its vicinity; for, after its evacuation, thi 
greater part of the rebel army was transferred to the neigh 
borhood of Chattanooga, Tennessee. ^General Sterling Prio 
made his appearance at luka, about twenty miles east of Cor 
inth, on the thirteenth of September, and, on the nineteentl 
of that month. General Rosecrans fought with him the battl 
of luka. Defeated at that point. General Price marched hi 
army, by a circuitous route, round to Ripley, where he wa 
joined by Generals Van Dorn and Villipigue. The combine( 
rebel force numbered now not less than forty thousand, and 
in Van Dorn's opinion, was sufficient to capture Corinth 
Price, who had recently felt the mettle of the Federal troop 
at luka, thought otherwise; but Van Dorn was the rankin; 
officer, and an attack was determined on and ordered. 

The enemy marched on Corinth from Ripley, and firs 
encountered a detachment of Federal troops at Chewalla, ; 
small town north-west of Corinth. This was on the afternooi 
of the second of October. In the meantime General Grani 
having learned of the enemy's approach, had made prepare 
tions to meet him. The attack on Corinth was made from th 
direction of the enemy's march — on the west and north-wes 



61 



JAMES BAKEK. 

r the town— and met serious resistance two and a half miles 
Lit, on the Chewalla road. 

The 2d Iowa Infantry, attached to the 1st Brigade of the 2d 
Hvision, was among the troops sent out to encounter, the 
iiemy, and, marching in a north-westerly direction, formed 
ne of battle at the front. Frequent changes of position hav- 
iig been made to check-mate the advances of the enemy, the 
egiment finally became hotly engaged near what was known 
s the White House. Near the White House, the position of 
he 2d Iowa was as follows : it was stationed on high ground, 
md in the edge of timber. In its front, the country was open, 
iffording almost an unobstructed view for a mile or more to 
he left and front. The regiment was assaulted in this position 
)y the enemy in force, who, by a charge, endeavored to break 
;he Federal line; but they were repulsed. They did not 
renew the charge, but returning to within musket-range, and 
covering themselves as much as possible . behind stumps and 
3ld logs, opened on the Federal lines with their rifles. The 
aghting continued in front of the 2d Iowa for nearly an hour, 
but with no advantage to the enemy; for, whenever they 
advanced so as to expose themselves, they were driven to cover 
by the sharp and accurate fire of the regiment. 

But now heavy columns of rebel re-inforcements were seen 
approaching in the distance, and for the regiment to remain 
where it was, and allow the enemy in its immediate front to 
hold their position till their re-inforcements arrived, would 
result in certain defeat. Colonel Baker was sitting upon his 
horse, watching the movements of the enemy, and contempla- 
ting the course to be pursued, when Lieutenant, now Major 
Hamill stepping to his side, said, "Colonel, let us charge the 
enemy." The suggestion was adopted and a charge ordered, 
which resulted successfully ; but just as the enemy were being 
routed. Colonel Baker fell from his horse, mortally wounded. 



62 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

As he fell, he said, " Thank God, I fell while my regiment 
was victoriously charging! " He was borne from the field on a 
litter, and placed in hospital at Corinth, where he lay for three 
days and nights, breathing regrets for his sad fate. " Poor 
Charlie, (his wife) if it were not for you, I could die more wil- 
lingly." He was never a father, and doted on his wife with 
the fondest affection. 

From the first, there was no hope of saving his life, and he 
was drugged to kill his intense pain. He lingered till the 
morning of the seventh of October, when he died. Of the 
Iowa colonels, he was the first that had fallen in battle, and the 
second that had fallen in the service of the country. Colonel 
Worthington, of the 5th Iowa Infantry, had been shot during 
the siege of Corinth by a frightened sentinel. 

When Colonel Baker fell, Lieutenant-Colonel Mills assumed 
command of the 2d Iowa, and soon after was ordered to fall 
back in the direction of Corinth, and take position in the vicin- 
ity of the Federal battery, Robinette, where the regiment 
remained during the following night. In the next day's 
engagement. Colonel Mills received a wound which terminated 
fatally, five days after the death of Colonel Baker. 

In the two day's engagement at Corinth, the loss of the 2d 
Iowa was severe — especially in officers. When it marched out 
to the front on the morning of the 3d, there were, in officers 
and enlisted men, an aggregate of three hundred and forty-six. 
In the first day's battle, it lost three officers killed, and two 
wounded ; and in the second, one killed, and five wounded. 
The entire loss of the regiment, in killed, wounded and mis- 
sing, was one hundred and eight. Thirteen enlisted men were 
killed. The officers killed dead, were Lieutenants Huntington, 
Snowden, Bing, and George W. Neal. 

The following is from Major Weaver's official report : 

" Among those who distinguished themselves was Adjutant 



JAMES BAKEE. 63 

George L. Godfrey, who could alwa5^s be seen and heard 
charging along the line upon his horse, shouting to the men to 
be cool and steady. He is one of the most valuable young 
officers with whom I have ever met. Captains Cowles, 
McCulloch, Mastic, Howard, Ensign and Davis were marked 
instances of bravery and efficiency upon the field, and reflected 
great credit upon themselves and their commands. Cap- 
tain Holmes, on account of a wound received in the battle 
at Fort Donelson, was unable to take command of his company 
during the engagement. 

" Conspicuous for bravery, were Lieutenants Parker, Duffield, 
Marsh, Wilson, Tisdale, Suiter, Hamill, Hall, Blake, Duck- 
worth, Ballinger, Twombly and McCoid. After Lieutenants 
Parker and Twombly of company F, were wounded. Sergeant 
James Ferry took charge of the company, and displayed 
marked efficiency and courage. Likewise after the fall of 
Lieutenants Huntington and Suiter, of company B, Sergeant 
Lewis, (acting lieutenant) took charge of the company, and 
rendered most satisfactory service. Too much credit can not be 
bestowed upon our excellent First Assistant Surgeon Elliott 
Pyle, then in charge of the Medical Department of the regi- 
ment. He was most indeMigable in his attention to the 
wounded. Nor upon our Quarter-Master Sergeant John 
Lynde, who was ever present upon the field to supply the 
wants of the men. Sergeant-Major Campbell distinguished 
himself throughout the battle for coolness and bravery. Color- 
Sergeant Harry Doolittle, whilst sui)porting the colors, was 
again wounded, and Color-Corporals Henry A. Seiberlich, G. 
C. Phillips, G. B. Norris, I. C. Urie and John H. Stewart 
were all wounded, wiiilst supporting the old flag." 

Captain Ensign distinguished himself by capturing a bat- 
tle-flag, and in the charge upon the battery, was the first to 
reach it, and turn the guns upon the enemy. 

Colonel Baker was a man of middle size, and had a stocky 
and vigorous form. He had a dark, or olive complexion, black 
hair, and dark, lustroas eyes. In personal appearance he was 
extremely prepossessing. With his friends he was extremely 
sociable; but he had little to say to strangers. During the last 
months of his service, he became somewhat convivial in his 



64 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

habits, which was doubtless occasioned by his inactive camp- 
life at Corinth. 

Tlie Colonel had great independence of character, and never 
fawned nor flattered. He never asked favors ; but, for prefer- 
ment, relied solely on his merit and ability. He had fine legal 
talent, and there were few lawyers in Southern Iowa who 
were his superiors. But he had one peculiarity— a weak- 
ness, if it may be so termed, attributed by his friends to 
his native modesty, which he could never overcome— he 
never attempted to address a jury or a public assembly without 
at first showing signs of fear. It could be seen in his pale face, 
his compressed lips, and in the nervous tremor of his hand. 
This is the more remarkable since he was a fine public speaker, 
and never spoke with hesitancy. 

The Colonel was a fine officer: indeed, the State has fur- 
nished few better. His remains now lie buried on his former 
happy homestead in Bloomfield, and a fine monument, erected 
by his wife, marks the spot of his burial. 



COLONEL NOAH AVEBSTER MILLS. 

FOUETH COLONEL, SECOND EEGIMEST. 

The memories of the noble dead, who have fallen in battle, 
ve shall ever cherish ; and the names of those who distinguished 
hemselves most, we shall, regardless of their rank, hold in the 
Ughest honor. Though Noah W. Mills, at the time of his 
leath hold only the rank of a colonel, yet, I believe, we have 
rarely sustained a greater loss in the death of a general officer. 
The subject of this memoir was a native of Indiana, .and was 
horn in Montgomery county of that State, on the 21st day of 
.June 1834. In his early history there is little of special intc.rest. 
His 'education, which was liberal, he received at Wabash 
Collc^e, Indiana. He had to defray his own educational 
expenses, and, for that purpose, p.a.ssed much of his time in a 
printin-house. In college he was noted simply for his honesty, 
morality and industry. Natumlly modest, he did not seek 
that distinction in his class to which his talents entitled him 
For several months after leaving college, he was employed with 
an engineering corps, but subsequently became an employee of 
the Adams Express Company, in whose service he remained 
one vear While in the service of this company, he began the 
stud'y of law, the profession for which he had always man.- 
rested a preference; and, as an example of his industry, .t 
may be stated that his leisure moments, while p.assing to and 
fro over the road, were devoted to the study of his chosen pro- 
fession. He was admitted to the bar in 18-56, and in the fall of 
the same year removed to Des Moines, where, renouncmg for 
the time his legal pursuits, he engaged in the book and printmg 
business, with his brother, F. M. Mills, Esq., under the firm 



66 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

name of Mills & Co. ; and the zeal and skill which he carried 
with him into the business were, I am informed, important 
elements in the success of this enterprising house. 

Colonel Mills was one of the first in Polk county to enter the 
War of the Rebellion. His keen sense of honor and love of 
justice, his horror of anarchy and hatred of the institutions 
which were threatening to produce it, were the chief induce- 
ments for his entering the army ; for he was naturally of a 
retiring disposition, and hated contention. He entered the 
service as a lieutenant in Captain, now General Crocker's com- 
pany, which, being too late in its organization for the three- 
months service, was assigned to the 2d Iowa Infantry. At its 
rendezvous in Keokuk, Captain Crocker was elected major of 
the regiment, and Lieutenant Mills was promoted to the cap- 
taincy of his company. He held this rank till the 22d of June, 
1862, when he was made major. Two days later he was com- 
missioned lieutenant-colonel ; and on the 8th of October follow- 
ing, the day after the death of Colonel Baker, he was promoted 
to the colonelcy of the 2d Iowa Infantry. He entered upon his 
military career with the lowest rank of a commissioned officer, 
and, in seventeen months time, attained, by gallant and 
meritorious conduct, the highest rank within the gift of the 
State Executive. But he was entitled to even greater distinc- 
tion ; for, after his death, General Rosecrans said: " He was a 
gallant officer, and richly merited promotion to the rank of a 
brigadier." 

To give his military history in detail is needless ; for it is to 
he found in the history of his gallant regiment. He served 
with his regiment in all its campaigns, and fought with it in 
all its battles ; and the force of every blow which it dealt the 
rebellion was augmented by his gallantry and prowess. That 
his merit as an officer was not of the common sort may be seen 
from the two following incidents; the first occurring on the 



NOAH W. MILLS. ^"^ 



Lghts Of Fort Donelson, and the second on the battle-field 

fShiloh: 

At Fort Donelson, after the bights had been gained, and 
he works of the enemy captured, the left wing of the 2d (the 
,.ht wing had not yet come up) had started, in their enthu- 
ilsm, in pursuit of the enemy, to the ravine below, when they 
vere halted by Colonel Tuttle and ordered to re-form, so as to 
^eet the assault of a Tennessee regiment moving against them 
m the right. The order was no sooner given than the company 
of Captain Mills, quitting the pursuit, instantly rallied in a 
circle around him ; reminding one, as General Tuttle expressed 
it " of a brood of chickens huddling around their mother, on 
the approach of danger." No more striking instance of the 
confidence reposed in him by his men could be given. 

He was equally fortunate in securing the confidence of his 
superior ofiicers. At about four o'clock on the afternoon of the 
first day's fight at Shiloh, that portion of the line formed by 
General Tuttle's Brigade was being held successfully: every 
thinWn the immediate vicinity looked as though the advance 
of the enemy had been checked, though the heavy firing at the 
left and right rear indicated otherwise. Just at this juncture. 
Captain Mills, who held the right of his regiment, and the 
ri<.ht of the brigade, sent a sergeant to General Tuttle with 
word that the enemy were passing his flank on the right, and 
that the command was in imminent danger. " Did Captam 
Mills send you to me?" inquired General Tuttle. ''Yes.'' 
u Well then, there must be something wrong, and I will report 
it to General AVallace." 

The facts are now well known. On a reconnolsance be.ng 
made, the statements of Captain Mills were fomul to be cor- 
rect- but only in time to save two regiments of the brigade 
from capture. After the danger was passed. General Tuttle 
remarked: " Had any one but Captain Mills reported that fact 



68 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIINIENTS. 

to me I should have taken no notice of it ;" and thus he saved 
the 2d and 7th Iowa regiments from capture at Shiloh. *' He 
was the coolest man in battle I ever saw; (I again use the 
language of General Tuttle) and his watchfulness and valor 
were worth a regiment." 

Colonel Mills' last engagement was that of Corinth, October 
8d and 4th, 1862. On the afternoon of the first day's fight, the 
gallant Colonel Baker was mortally wounded; and the com- 
mand of the regiment devolved on Lieutenant-Colonel Mills. 
He himself was struck in the foot by a spent ball, and his horse 
killed under him, in the same charge in which Colonel Baker 
fell ; but fortunately he was not disabled. 

The morning of the 4th of October dawned with but little 
hope for the Union army at Corinth. Our lines on every hand 
had been forced back, and on the north, west and south sides 
of the city, the enemy had possessed themselves of the outer 
defences ; and the contest, which would decide the final issue, 
could be of but short duration. Soon after day-light, the enemy 
resumed their advance, and a few moments later the battle was 
raging in every quarter. On the north side, Battery Kobinette 
was repeatedly charged; but the enemy were each time 
repulsed with dreadful slaughter. Despairing of success at 
that point, they massed their forces on the south side, and, with 
an appalling yell and at double-quick, came dashing into the 
town, many of them even reaching the Tishamingo House. 
At this critical moment, when victory was almost perching on 
the banner of the enemy, three Iowa regiments sprang to the 
rescue, and, with an answering yell of defiance, charged the 
rebel legions and drove them back in utter confusion. To 
the 2d, 7th, and 17th Iowa regiments belong the credit of 
meeting and repelling the final assault of the enemy at Corinth. 
The last desperate charge of the enemy on Battery Robinette 
had been made just before. 



NOAH W. MILLS. 69 

In this final charge, Lieutenan1>Colonel Mills was conspicu- 
ous. Springing to the front of his regiment, he snatched its 
tattered battle-flag from the color-guard, and, in the very face 
of the foe, cheered on his men to the onset. It was in this 
charge, and after the enemy had been routed, that he wa.s 
wounded. He was shot in the foot with a musket-ball, which 
entered at the big-toe joint and lodged in the heel. A week 
after he was wounded he was attacked with lock-jaw, from 
which he could receive no relief; and he died at sun-down, on 
Sunday evening, the 12th of October, 1862. He retained his 
consciousness to the last. He knew he must die, and wrote : 
(he could not speak) " I am not alarmed, if the danger is great. 
If this is to be fatal, it is my time, and God is wise and just: 
I am not afraid to die." And he added: "In the army I 
have tried conscientiously and prayerfully to do my duty ; and, 
if I am to die in my youth, I prefer to die as a soldier of my 
country. To do so as a member of the 2d Iowa is glory enough 
for me." 

To leave his beloved wife and his two dear little children, 
was his greatest cross ; and many kind and touching messages 
he left them. The grief of that noble woman but few can 
understand ; for, in the engagement at Corinth, she sacrificed 
her all. Her father, General Hackelman, of Indiana, was 
killed in the first day's battle. Colonel Mills' farewell to his 
parents was: "Your teachings have done me good through 
all my life, and I honor and thank you for them." But he 
had a Christian burial in a Christian land, which in a degree 
assuaged the grief of his friends ; and John A. Kasson, his 
warm friend, and one of Iowa's most eloquent and distin- 
guished sons, pronounced his eulogy. 

Immediately after learning of the death of Colonel Baker, 
Governor Kirkwood promoted Lieutenant-Colonel Mills to the 
colonelcy of the 2d Iowa Infantry ; and, though he did not live 



70 IOWA COIiONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

to receive his commission, he died a full colonel of that noble 
regiment. 

The names of Colonels Baker and Mills are immortal — at least 
in the annals of Iowa. In life their regiment learned their 
worth, and in death it mourned their loss : 

^^Hesolved, That in view of the gallant conduct of these brave 
men, we, the officers and men of the 2d Iowa Infantry, join in 
paying fitting honor to their memory. 

Resolved^ That, at Donelson, Shiloli and Corinth, they dis- 
played that coolness and bravery, which will secure for them a 
place upon the brightest page of our history ; while posterity 
will gratefully remember and emulate them, as among the 
most worthy martyrs in the cause of their country." 

Colonel Mills was tall and erect in person, and, in health, 
had the appearance of being rather portly. He had light-gray 
eyes, a fair, florid complexion, and light-brown hair. His 
voice was clear and kind: his manners frank and unas- 
suming. He had good literary taste ; was a good writer and a 
fine scholar. In civil life he was quiet, urbane and industrious ; 
and, though young, was a prominent, useful and influential 
citizen. Though few predicted for him great success as a 
military man, yet, his friends and those who knew him best, 
were not surprised at his brilliant military career. He was 
taught from childhood to hate Slavery. From the first he 
saw it was the cause of the war, and he believed there could 
be no peace till it was utterly destroyed. Soon after entering 
the field he wrote to his friends: " I never fail to pray that this 
rebellion may be the beginning of the end of Slavery." With 
him the maintenance of Liberty and Justice were paramount. 
To this end he gave his life a willing sacrifice ; and his friends 
can rejoice that it was not given in vain. 



COLONEL JAMES BAIRD WEAVER. 

FIFTH COLONEL, SEOOSD INFANTBY. 

j,„Fs B. WBAVEB was the fifth colonel of the 2cl Iowa 
infantry. He is a native of the city of Dayton, Ohio, where 
TIL. on the mh of June, IS33, and a son of « 
weaver, Esq., formerly a county officer and politican of Dav^^ 
county. He accompanied his father's i;.mily from Olno to 
Michigan, and thence to Iowa, where hearrived in 1843. In the 
year following, he settled in Davis county, where be has surce 

resided. . , v, „o 

colonel Weaver's early education was limited-only such as 
the West, at that early day, afforded. At the age of nineteen, 
he began the study of law, which he pursued for two years m 
Bloomfleld, and then, with the late lamented Colonel James 
Baker, entered the Cincinnati Law School. Leaving that 
university in the spring of 18.56, he returned to Iowa; and 
from that date until the commencement of the war, practiced 
his profession in Bloomfleld, Davis county. Soon after estab- 
lishing himself in p.-actice, he was married to Miss Clara 
Vinson, a lady of intelligence and worth. 

Colonel Weaver entered the service, as first lieutenant of 
Company G, 2d Iowa Infantry, and with that rank fought at 
the battles of Fort Donelson and Shiloh. He was made major 
of his regiment, rice N. W. Mills promoted to lieutenant-col- 
onel, and, after the death of Colonels Baker and Mills, was 
promoted to the colonelcy. His commission as major was 
received the day before the first day's fight at Corinth, and that 
of colonel, in the latter part of the same month. 
It we except the part taken by the 2d Iowa Infantry m the 



72 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

early part of General Sherman's campaign against Atlanta, 
the history of the regiment, while under the command of 
Colonel Weaver, has in it little of general interest. From the 
fall of 1862 to the fall of 1863, it was stationed on garrison-duty 
at and near Corinth, Mississippi ; and, if we except the few 
expeditions in which it took part during this time, the routine 
of its camp-life was only occasionally broken by droll camp- 
scenes and incidents. 

In garrison-duty, the day begins something as follows:— 
awakened in the morning by the braying of mules, the impu- 
dent clatter of drums, and the shrill whistle of fifes, the 
soldiers hurry on their clothes and assemble on the company 
parade grounds for "roll-call." But there is always some 
delinquent: some lazy fellow throws back his blanket and, 
sitting upright, rubs his eyes and yawns lustily. He begins to 
wonder if he will have to "police" to-day, or stand picket, 
or — what he will have to do, when the command " fall in " is 
sounded, and instantly the trumpet-voice of the orderly begins 
calling, "Buckmaster;" "Bunner;" " Brown j" "Brooks;"— 
he hurries on his pants and out into line, but only in time 
to find his name passed, and himself checked as absent from 
"roll-call." The day begins badly; for the thing he most 
dreaded is now upon him — he is the first on the list of those 
detailed for "policing," and he curses his ill luck. 

Next follows the morning ablutions and toilet, and then 
breakfast. The 2d Iowa at Corinth were gentlemen ; for, in 
those days, they had black men for their cooks, their " hewers 
of wood and drawers of water." The soldiers chatted and 
laughed, while their servants fried the bacon, and made the 
coffee. "Guard-mounting," "company-drill," "dinner-call," 
and "retreat," followed each other, until finally "tattoo" 
closed the day. Generally, the history of one day was repeated 
in that following. 



JAMES B. WEAVER. 73 

Of all the troops sent out from Iowa, there has been no regi- 
ment, where the enlisted men have maintained so much inde- 
pendence in their relations with their officers, as have those of 
the 2d Iowa,— none, where the members would endure less of 
sti/le in their field- and line-officers. In every other respect, the 
discipline of the regiment was most commendable. In the 
summer of 18G3, while the 2d Iowa was stationed with its brig- 
ade at Corinth, General T. W. Sweeney, (afterwards dismissed 
in disgrace from the service for threatening to shoot General 
Dodge, and a surgeon) issued an order, embracing the follow- 
ing points: — 1st. There must be no familiarity between enlist- 
ed men and their officers. 2d. If any enlisted man have any 
business with the commanding officer of his company, he must 
transact it through the orderly-sergeant. The orderly-ser- 
geant, on entering his officer's tent, must remove his hat, and 
taking the position of a soldier, make known his business. He 
nmst never seat himself, or talk about other matters than those 
relating to the business in question ; and, that being atten- 
ded to, he must leave promptly, and with the proper salute. 
Violations of the order were to be reported by company-officers, 
and all offenders severely punished. 

This was a new article in the regiment's code of discipline, 
to which it would not yield submission. But Colonel Weaver, 
always anxious to comply with orders, added one of his own ; 
and, with a rhetorical flourish, held his company-officei-s 
responsible for all infringements of the former. Both were 
read to his regiment on dress-parade, and were greeted with 
three groans. One stormy night not long after, when the colo- 
nel was in bed, a shot was fired through his quarters, the ball 
passing within four or five inches of his person. For some 
reason or other, no more was said about the obnoxious order, 
and the men visited the tents of their company-officers as 
usual. 



74 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

After Vicksburg had fallen, and Port Hudson, and the Mis- 
sissippi had been opened from its mouth to its sources, there 
was little need for the magnificent army of General Grant, in 
its old field of operations. On the west side of the Mississippi, 
the power of the Confederacy was inconsiderable: its chieJ 
strength lay on the east side of the river. Rosecrans success- 
fully engaged Bragg at Murfreesboro, and forced him back 
across the tail of the Cumberland INIountains, to and beyond 
Chattanooga. Then, himself defeated, he was beaten back tc 
Chattanooga, and there beseiged. After the fall of Vicksburg, 
therefore, Chattanooga became the chief point of interest, in 
military operations in the South West. General Grant's vic- 
tory at Vicksburg was the consummation of success in thai 
quarter, and he therefore planned immediate relief for the 
Army of the Cumberland, at Chattanooga. 

In order to open and protect new lines of communicatior 
between Nashville and Chattanooga, and to render that one 
already open more secure, Corinth was to be evacuated, a larg( 
extent of the Memphis and Charleston Railroad abandoned 
and General Dodge's command ordered across the country t( 
the Nashville and Decatur Railroad. Hence it was that the 
2d Iowa, with its brigade and division, was transferred fron 
Corinth to the line of the above named road. General Dodge's 
command left Corinth and crossed the Tennessee, at Eastport 
with the rear of General Sherman's Corps, then on its way t( 
Chattanooga. 

The 2d Iowa marched directly to Pulaski, Tennessee, where 
were established the head-quarters of the regiment. Pulask 
was also General Dodge's head-quarters. Colonel Weaver wsu 
made commandant of the post, and held the position during 
the following winter, and until just before the expiration of hii 
term of service. The services of the 2d Iowa were, in th( 
meantime, the same as those of other troops, stationed on rail 



JAMES B. WEAVER. 75 

road guard-duty. The regiment however, marched on no 
expeditions, and was, at no time, attacked by the enemy. It 
was at Pulaski that the 2d re-enlisted, and from that point 
left for Iowa on veteran-furlough. 

Soon after its return from Iowa, the 2d Iowa, with the bal- 
ance of Dodge's command, took the field. Leaving the non- 
veterans at Pulaski, the regiment, in the latter part of March, 
1864, marched to the front, by way of Elkton, Huntsville 
and Bridgeport. It had been so long stationed in camp that 
the news of its assignment to the front was hailed with much 
satisfaction, and demonstrations of joy, along the line of march, 
such as song-singing and the like, were frequent. The Elk 
river was to be crossed at Elkton, and there was no bridge and 
no boats; but that was no obstacle; for the regiment, and 
indeed the whole brigade, stripping off all but their shirts, 
waded the stream, amid shouting and laughter. There are 
always some wags in every regiment, and at such times as 
these, they crack their jokes and make much sport. 

On arriving at Huntsville, General Sweeney's Division, (the 
2d) to which was attached the 2d Iowa, was joined by that of 
General Veatch. These troops constituted General G. M. 
Dodge's command — the celebrated left wing of the 16th Army 
Corps. They proceeded from Huntsville to Chattanooga, and 
from Chattanooga, over the battle-gromid of Chickamauga, on 
to Dalton. 

At Dalton, General Johnson was strongly intrenched, with 
the finest rebel army ever mustered in the South West ; and so 
confident was he of his strength that he had boasted he would 
march on Chattanooga, and, having driven the Federal forces 
from that place, would move on and capture Nashville. But 
Dalton was to fall with but little bloodshed. General McPher- 
son, moving through Snake Creek Gap, gained Johnson's left 
flank, and compelled him to evacuate his strong works and fall 



76 



IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 



back to Resaca. In this flank movement, the first in Gener 
Sherman's " flanking campaign," the 2d Iowa took part. Soc 
after. Colonel Weaver was mustered out of the service, an 
returned to his home in Bloomfield. His three year's ten 
expired on the 2Sth of May, 1864. From that time to tl 
present, the 2d Iowa Infantry has been commanded by CoI( 
nel Noel B. Howard. 

Colonel Weaver is one of the handsomest of the Iowa colonels 
He has a symmetrical, well-developed person, which, with hi 
dignified address, intelligent countenance, and dark-blue eyes 
makes him interesting and pleasing. He is too small for ; 
great man, and yet, with his dignity and self-assurance, h( 
impresses a stranger favorably. 

Intellectually, he is rather brilliant; I am told he is a grace 
ful and interesting public speaker. His worst fimlt is ai 
affectation in delivery. 

He has some vanity, and was proud of his position as colonel 
of the 2d Iowa. For instance : just after being commissioned a 
lieutenant, it is said he returned to Bloomfield and attended 
church in full uniform, sporting the whole regulation outfit. 
"From his walk," said an ofiicer of his regiment, "you could 
tell that he was colonel of the 2d Iowa." 

He was a good and brave officer, and there are few who were 
as cool as he in battle. At Shiloh, while the 2d and 7th Iowa 
were running that terrible gauntlet, on the afternoon of the 
first day's fight. Captain Moore, of company G, was shot 
through both legs and disabled. Lieutenant W^eaver stopped, 
picked him up, and bore him from the field. Under the circum- 
stances, not one man in five thousand would have imitated his 
example. He is a member of the Methodist Church, and is 
one of the few officers who abstained from the use of liquor in 
the service. 



COLONEL NOEL B. HOWARD. 

SIXTH COLONEL, SECOND INFANTRY. 

Noel B. Howard is one of the youngest officers of his ranlc 
in the service, and one of the best. He was born in the State 
of Vermont, in the year 1838 ; and was educated, I think, at 
tlie Norwich INIilitary University of tlie same State. Just before 
the outbrealv of the war, he was teaching a military scliool in 
one of the soutliern Atlantic States. Coming Nortli, he was 
stopping in Lyons, C-linton county, Iowa, at the time Captain 
Hugh P. Cox's company of the 2d Iowa was being recruited. 
He enlisted in that company, and on its organization was elec- 
ted first lieutenant. With that rank he entered the service. 
After the battle of Fort Donelson, he was promoted to the 
captaincy of his company, (I) and, on the 13th of October fol- 
lowing, was made major of his regiment. He served with 
the rank of major till the spring of 1864, when he was made 
lieutenant-colonel, vice Lieutenant-Colonel Henry R. Cowles, 
resigned. 

Colonel Weaver left his regiment at Resaca: since that time 
it has been connnanded chiefly by Colonel Howard. In the 
terrible battle of the 22d of July, before Atlanta, he was 
wounded, which left the regiment for several weeks in com- 
mand of Major M. G. Ilamill. After the fall of Atlanta, the 
3d Iowa Infantry was consolidated with the 2d. This, with 
tlie recruits and drafted men assigned to it, increasing its num- 
bers to above the minimum of a regimental organization, 
entitled the 2d Iowa to a Colonel. Lieutenant-Colonel How- 
ard was accordingly promoted to that rank ; and no officer in 
the Federal army more richly merited the position. 

77 



78 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

The opening and closing days of the war were the most 
eventful to the 2d Iowa. It gained pre-eminent distinction at 
Fort Donelson, and closed its brilliant record, (for the war is 
virtually over) in the campaigns from Dalton to Atlanta, from 
Atlanta to Savannah, and from Savannah to Raleigh. 

After leaving Resaca, Georgia, the operations of the 2d Iowa, 
up to the time of the capture of Atlanta, were briefly as fol- 
lows : — On the 14th day of May, it marched with its brigade to 
Calhoun Ford, on the Oostanaula river, and assisted in foi'cing 
a crossing of that stream. It was the first regiment sent across, 
after which, having deployed as skirmishers, it held the enemy 
in check till the other troojis were over. The Oostanaula was 
crossed on the morning of the 15th instant, and in the after- 
noon of the day following, the march was directed toward 
Home. At Rome Cross Roads, the 2d Iowa engaged the enemy 
as skirmishers, and held the left of its division. Defeated at 
this point, the enemy fell back to Kingston, and beyond. The 
2d Iowa, with its brigade and division, followed, and reached 
that place in the afternoon of the 19th of May. From King- 
ston, the regiment marched to Dallas, where it was engaged ; 
from Dallas to Acworth Station, and thence to Big Shanty, 
near Kenesaw Mountain, where it arrived on the 10th of June. 
At Big Shanty, it was detached for a time from its brigade, 
and assigned to provost- and fatigue-duty ; but it joined it again 
near Lost Mountain on the 3d of July, and the same day assis- 
ted in throwing up fortifications on Nick-a-jack creek. 

From the 3d of July, until the arrival of McPherson before 
Atlanta, the movements of the 2d Iowa were the same as those 
of the other troops of its corps. Marching up past Marietta, 
it crossed the Chattahoochie at Roswell, and then followed out 
through Decatur to the east side of Atlanta. In approaching 
Atlanta, on the 20th instant, the regiment was deployed as 
skirmishers, and occupied a position between its own corps 



NOEL, B. HOWARD. 79 

nd the 23d. That day, it was engaged but slightly ; but, on 
16 22d instant, it took an active part in repelling the desperate 
ssaults of the enemy on the Army of the Tennessee. For the 
art taken by the 2d Iowa in that day's fighting, I refer to the 
eport of Major Hamill. 
" The regiment, with its brigade, was marched from position 
n the line between the 15th and 23d Corps, on the morning of 
he 22d, to position on the extreme left, to meet a rapid 
dvance of the enemy on the left flank of the 17th Corps. We 
ook position on the left flank of the brigade, the 7th Iowa on 
ur right, on a ridge running almost at right angles with the 
ine of the 17th Corps, and in an open field. Company G, 
mder command of Captain Duckworth, was deployed as skir- 
nishers; but had advanced only a short distance, when the 
inemy was discovered in the edge of the woods, advancing in 
brce directly in our front. Our skirmishers being hard pressed 
etired to the left to avoid exposure, and until the regimental- 
ront was uncovered, when the regiment opened a well-directed 
ire on the enemy's advancing column, checking him, and 
throwing him into confusion. After fruitless efforts to rally 
lis men under our fire, he was driven from the field, leaving 
lead, wounded, and arms in our hands." ******* 

"About the close of the engagement, Lieutenant-Colonel 
[ST. B. Howard was severely wounded, and compelled to leave 
:he field, leaving the regiment in my command. Captain 
Gfeorge Heaton, and three sergeants were severely wounded; 
3ne corporal mortally, and four privates, slightly. The cap- 
tures were twenty prisoners, one huntlred and sixty-seven 
stand of arms, and one stand of colors. 

"Were I to make special mention of the officers and men 
who did their duty ivell, and who deserve promotion, I should 
have to mention every member of the regiment ; for each officer 
and soldier deported himself as if the safety of the army and 
the success of our cause depended on his individual efforts. No 
soldiers ever discharged their duties better — none were ever 
more deserving of the lasting gratitude of the country." 

The day following this terrible engagement, the 2d Iowa took 
up a position on the extreme left of the army, which it held till 
the morning of the 27th; and then, with its corps, swung round 



HO IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

to the west side of Atlanta. Throwing up earth-works, the 
regiment remained in this position till the 8th of August follow- 
ing, when it was ordered to take up an advanced position. 

But the movement in which the regiment most distinguished 
itself, during the campaign, was that which resulted in the 
evacuation of Atlanta. Captain John A. Duckworth, a most 
excellent officer, who afterwards died as Sherman was approach- 
ing Savannah, gives the following account of the part taken by 
his regiment in the first part of this brilliant movement. After 
stating that on the 29th of August, the 2d Io\\'a had assisted in 
destroying the West Point railroad, he goes on to say : 

"On the morning of the 30th, in company with the 7th Iowa 
Infantry, the regiment was ordered to support the cavalry 
under General Kilpatrick, when the advance on Jonesboro was 
commenced. Taking the main road leading to that point, the 
command moved out at a brisk step, and under a burning sun, 
ciirrying, besides arms, ammunition, clothing and rations, a 
number of intrenching tools. A force of the enemy's cavalry 
was found at Strithesville Post-Office, six miles north-west of 
.lonesboro, posted on an eminence in an open field, and pro- 
tected by a barricade of rails. This position the regiment, sup- 
ported by the 7th Iowa, was ordered to charge. Two companies, 
(B and G) under command of Captain Lewis, were deployed as 
skirmishers. Major M. G. Hamill assumed command of both 
regiments, and the movement commenced." 

" The line moved cautiously until it arrived at the edge of a 
corn-field, through which it had to pass, when the charge was 
ordered. The regiment advanced in the most gallant style, 
driving the enemy from the crest of the ridge, and taking pos- 
session of their defenses. In this charge, Major Hamill was 
wounded, who, it is needless to say, was doing his duty in the 
coolest and bravest manner. Skirmishers were advanced, and 
the enemy driven from his second position, in the edge of the 
woods. Throwing out an additional company as skirmishers, 
(E) the command again moved forward, under Major IMahon 
of the 7th Iowa. The enemy was found in his third position 
near Liberty Hill Church, which was charged, taken and held, 
by companies B, G and E, and a squadron of cavalry. Here 



NOEL B. HOWARD. 81 

five companies of the 7th Iowa took the advance, supported by 
the remainder of the two regiments united ; but after advancing 
a mile further, orders came to join the brigade." 

That same day the advance was continued to Flint River, 
where the 2d Iowa arrived late in the evening, and fortified. 
The next day, the 31st, the river was crossed, and the enemy 
went in heavy force ; and from that time until Hood's defeat 
and flight, the regiment was much of the time under fire. 
Atlanta was evacuated on the night of the 2d of September, 
and, with the exception of the brief pursuit which was made 
to Fayetteville, the campaign was closed. 

In the march from Dalton, and in the battles and skirmishes 
fought around Atlanta, the loss of the regiment was fifty-five 
officers and men, killed and wounded. Eight were killed, 
among whom were Lieutenant T. K. Raush, and Sergeant 
Cyrus Bartow. Lieutenant V. P. Twombly, regimental adju- 
tant, was the only officer wounded near Jonesboro. 

The services of the 2d Iowa, subsequently to the fall of 
Atlanta, are substantially the same as those of the other Iowa 
troops, who accompanied Sherman on his toi/r, via. Savannah, 
to Raleigh, and thence to Washington. At the National Capi- 
tal, it joined in the Grand Review ; and I am told, held the 
post of honor in the triumphal march of the Army of the Ten- 
nessee. 

Colonel Howard is a small, pale-faced man, with a weakly 
voice, and weighing not more than one hundred and fifteen or 
twenty pounds. A stranger would judge that he had little 
capacity for physical endurance ; but he is as hardy as a knot. 
He is quiet, and unpretending in his manners, and quick in his 
movements. To look at him, one would not judge him to be 
the man that he is ; though his countenance indicates much 
energy and intelligence. 

He is a model soldier. From the very first, he was known 



82 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

in the 2d Iowa, as "the nicest young man in the regiment." 
When his regiment left Keokuk, he was its best drilled officer, 
and, while a line officer, he had the best drilled company. He 
always did his duty quietly and faithfully ; was always popu- 
lar and approachable, and never became inflated by flattery or 
promotion. 



COLONEL WILSON G. WILLIAMS. 

FIKST COLONEL, THIRD INFANTRY. 

Colonel W. G. Williams, of the 3d Iowa Infantry, was 
born in Bainbridge, Chenango county, New York, in the year 
1823. He is a descendant of one of the earliest settlers of Con- 
necticut. His father, on the maternal side, was a resident of 
Danbury , Connecticut, and, at the capture and burning of that 
place by the British under Governor Tryon, was taken pris- 
oner. Colonel Williams, while young, removed with his 
parents to Utica, New York, then a small village, where he 
passed his youth, and received a good academic education. 
On attaining his majority, he removed to New York City, 
and was, for several years, engaged in the importing business. 
He came West in 1855, and, locating in the city of Dubuque, 
opened soon after, a mercantile house. After following this 
business for several years, he sold out his interest to a younger 
brother, and purchased a form in Dubuque county, on which 
he has since resided. 

At the outbreak of the war. Colonel Williams was among 
the first in the State to tender his services to the Government. 
He was for a long time unsuccessful ; but finally, through his 
own persistency, and aided by the earnest endeavors of his 
friends, he was commissioned colonel of the 3d Iowa Infantry. 

He retained this rank until November, 1862, when he 
resigned his commission and returned to his farm in Dubuque 
county. 

The 3d Iowa Iniimtry, which ^^'as made up from nearly 
every part of the State, was rendezvoused in the city of 
Keokuk, and mustered into the United States service, on the 

83 



84 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

10th day of June, 1861. It has the saddest, and, all things 
considered, the proudest record of all the troops furnished by 
our patriotic State. Strife for position has been the bane of 
this war, especially with the Federal army ; and I need not add, 
what was the first source of discontent with the 3d Iowa Infan- 
try. This proved a great misfortune to the regiment. Like 
the 1st, 2d, 4th, 5th and 6th Iowa Infantry regiments, the 3d 
first served in Northern Missouri. It went to the front under 
Captain R. G. Herron, a brother of Major-General Herron ; 
for Colonel Williams was left behind, not yet having received 
his commission. The regiment arrived at the pretty, and 
just before that time, flourishing city of Hannibal, in the last 
of June, and two days later, left on the Hannibal and St. 
Joseph Railroad, which it was to assist in guarding. 

It entered the field under many disadvantages. It not only 
had no commanding officer above a captain, (for neither Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Scott nor Major Stone had yet received their 
commissions) but it was without transportation and equip- 
ments. It was armed with the Springfield musket of the pat- 
tern of "1848," but had no cartridge-boxes, belts or bayonet- 
scabbards. When it went on board the train for the West, on 
the morning of the 1st of July, 1861, it did not have even a 
cartridge — only burnished guns and bayonets ; and its route lay 
through that section of the State in which the rebel Thomas 
Harris was organizing his forces. But what was the greatest 
matter of surprise to the regiment, it was sent ofi" without 
rations. It was stationed along the road in detachments, in 
the vicinity of Utica, and that night was the regiment's first 
night in the field. It was tired and sleepy, and the detach- 
ment at Utica threw themselves on the wet ground and slept, 
without even establishing a picket-post. Lieutenant S. D. 
Thompson, of the 3d Iowa, who has written a history of the 
regiment, quaintly remarks that they trusted in Pro^'idence. 



WILSON G. WILLIAMS. 85 

The history of the 3d Iowa Infantry, while stationed in 
Northern Missouri, is extremely interesting ; but I can not give 
it in detail. I shall give only those points which are of chief 
interest. The regiment first formed line of battle, at the beat 
of the long-roll, about midnight of the 3d of July, at Utica ; 
and at Brookfield, early in August, first made the acquaintance 
of " gray -backs." Its first affair, which approached to anything 
like a battle, was that of Hager's Woods, in Monroe county, 
and its last, while stationed in Missouri, that of Blue Mills 
Landing. This last, though terminating unsuccessfully, was a 
most gallant affair, and will be given in full hereafter. In the 
affair of Hager's Woods, the expedition was under Colonel 
Smith, of the 16th Illinois, and numbered about four hundred 
and fifty men. Besides detachments from the 3d Iowa and 
16th Illinois, there was one company of Hannibal home- 
guards. One Sergeant Fishbeem commanded the artillery, 
which consisted of a six-pounder swivel. This force moved 
from Monroe on the line of the railroad, and came on the 
enemy's scouts in Hager's Woods, who, firing on the Federal 
advance, wounded three men. Hurrying his artillery to the 
front, the incorrigible Fishbeem sent the enemy flying in an 
instant. Night soon came on, and Colonel Smith retired. 

The march from Macon City to Kirksville, comes next in 
order. The object of this expedition was to intercept and rout 
the forces of Colonel Martin Green, which were, at that time, 
reported in camp on Salt River. The line of march from Macon 
City was taken up at midnight, of the 15th of August. The 
expedition was accompanied by Fishbeem with his " unfailing 
six-pounder ; " but how Green with his rebel command, having 
been routed by Colonel Moore and some Iowa home-guards at 
Athens, on the Des Moines River, subsequently made good his 
escape south, is well known. This was the result of a blunder, 
for which one, who subsequently became distinguished, was 



86 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

responsible. It was positively asserted at the time, that, had 
General Hurlbut used more powder and fewer proclamations, 
the result would have been different. On this expedition the 
3d Iowa had one man shot by rebel citizens. 

Before Lieutenant-Colonel Scott, with his detachment of the 
M Iowa, had returned from Kirksville, Colonel Williams, 
with the balance of his regiment, left on an expedition to 
Paris, in company with six companies of the gallant 2d Kan- 
sas. On arriving at Paris, the enemy was reported in large 
force near that place — more than three to one. The country 
in the vicinity was reconnoitered, and a portion of the scouts 
were captured. Colonel Williams became alarmed, and beat a 
hasty retreat to Shelbina, the point on the railroad from which 
he had marched. In his retreat on Shell^ina, Colonel Williams 
had exercised good judgment; for he had only reached the 
town, when, on looking to the rear, he saw first, dense clouds 
of dust, and then the head of a column of cavalry, emerging 
from the timber. These proved to be the forces of Green, and 
numbered not less than three thousand. Having formed in 
line of battle, the enemy sent in a flag of truce ; but to Green's 

demand to surrender. Colonel Williams replied, " go to h ." 

The enemy's artillery was now in position, and they began 
throwing shells into the town ; it moreover appeared that they 
were about surrounding the place, to force a surrender. Colo- 
nel Williams had sent for reinforcements ; but they had failed 
to come, and now, calling a council of war, it was determined 
to escape on the railroad, while there was yet opportunity. 
For his conduct in this affair. Colonel W^illiams was put under 
arrest by General Hurlbut. In this matter, even the Colonel's 
enemies thought that General Hurlbut acted unjustly ; for his 
conduct merited approbation, rather than censure. It was said 
that the Colonel was drunk at Paris ; but the general, with his 
own iveaknesses, would hardly have put him under arrest for 



WILSON G. WILIilAJMS. 87 

that. After much delay, the papers were lost, and the case 
never came to trial. That which most annoyed the Colonel's 
regiment in this matter, (for it had no love for him) was its 
fears that his arrest would be a reflection on its own conduct ; 
but in this its apprehensions were needless ; for no one ever 
questioned the courage of the 3d Iowa Infantry. 

The battle of Blue Mills Landing, on the Missouri River, in 
which the 3d Iowa, under Lieutenant-Colonel John Scott, so 
distinguished itself, was fought on the 17th of September, 1861. 
It terminated unsuccessfully ; but it also discovered, on the 
part of the 3d Iowa and its gallant commander, a spirit of for- 
titude and promptness to duty, unsurpassed in the record of 
any engagement. 

It will be remembered that, at the time General Price was 
besieging Colonel Mulligan in Lexington, Missouri, in Septem- 
ber, 1861, Colonels Boyd and Patton, with their rebel com- 
mands, marched against and captured St. Joseph. At that 
very time Generals Pope and Sturgis were at or near Macon 
City, with the ostensible purpose of organizing means for the 
relief of Mulligan. From the movements which followed, it 
seems that the aim of these officers was two-fold: to attack 
Boyd and Patton, and re-capture their long train of plunder, 
and afterwards to concentrate near Lexington, and raise the 
siege of that city. In pursuance of these plans was fought the 
battle of Blue Mills Landing. 

Lieutenant-Colonel Scott left Macon City, with his regiment, 
for Cameron, on the 15th of September, 1861. His orders from 
General Sturgis were, to leave Cameron, march south to Lib- 
erty, and act against the enemy in co-operation with Colonel 
Smith of the 16th Illinois ; and here I should state that Colonel 
Smith was to march south, in the direction of Liberty, from a 
point on the railroad some twenty-five miles west of Came- 
ron. These, then, were the forces which were to attack Boyd 



88 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

and Patton, and either capture, or compel them to destroy 
their train of plunder. In the meantime, General Sturgis, with 
about eleven hundred men, marched from Macon City, in 
nearly a direct course for Lexington. 

Passing through Hainsville and Centreville, Lieutenant- 
Colonel Scott arrived at Liberty, at about eight o'clock in the 
morning of the 17th instant. Here he expected to find Colonel 
Smith; but, disappointed in this, he dispatched a courier to 
him, with the request that he come up with all speed; for he 
knew that the enemy were in the vicinity, since, on entering 
Liberty, Lieutenant Call, in command of the van-guard, had 
driven their pickets through the town and forward to the main 
body. From eight A. M. until one P. M., the time was passed 
in the most harrowing suspense. From the citizens the num- 
bers of the enemy had been learned, and, although their sym- 
pathies were with the rebel party, yet, from the honesty of 
their deportment, their statements were doubtless correct. All 
told, Scott's force was not more than five hundred and fifty, and 
that of the enemy was not less than three thousand. But why 
did not Colonel Smith come up? was the ever recurring ques- 
tion with Lieutenant-Colonel Scott. It was eleven ; he would 
certainly be up by twelve; but twelve, and even one P. M. 
passed, and still no signs of his coming. The enemy were 
probably crossing the Missouri, only four and a half miles dis- 
tant, and would soon be beyond reach. Lieutenant-Colonel Scott 
hesitated, for he was to act with Colonel Smith. But just then 
six distinct artillery reports were heard in the direction of 
Independence. The citizens, too, said there was fighting on 
the opposite side of the river. The enemy were being 
attacked near the crossing, on the opposite side of the river, by 
forces from Kansas City, was the conclusion of Lieutenant- 
Colonel Scott, and he hesitated no longer. Besides, his regi- 
ment had not forgotten the afiair at Shelbina, and were earnest 



WILSON G. WILLIARLS. 89 

in their demands to be led against the enemy. Such were the 
considerations influencing Lieutenant-Colonel Scott to fight 
the battle of Blue Mills Landing. 

It was now nearly two o'clock, and the colonel dispatching 
another messenger to Colonel Smith, ordered his command to 
" fall in." Lieutenant Call, with his advance-guard, composed 
of volunteer mounted Missourians, encountered the enemy's 
pickets two miles south of Liberty, and was pursuing them 
rapidly down the road, when he suddenly found himself 
ambushed. A murderous volley from the enemy emptied five 
saddles, and four men were killed dead. Their ghastly bodies, 
lying by the road-side, were soon passed by the infantry troops ; 
but the sight only nerved them for the pending conflict. 
Finally, the enemy were encountered in the dense timber 
bordering the Missouri, and about one mile from the Landing. 
Their position was in a semi-circular, dry slough, whose arc, 
near its centre, was crossed by the road leading to the Landing. 
They were consequently well concealed, and the Federal skir- 
mishers came on them unexpectedly. 

Lieutenant-Colonel Scott was still marching by the flank, 
when his skirmishers, who were only a few yards in advance 
of the head of the column, discovered the enemy. Not only 
the skirmishers, therefore, were within range of the enemy's 
musketry, but nearly the whole column ; for, as I have said, 
the dry slough, in which the enemy were concealed, swung 
round on both the right and left flanks. Rising to their feet, 
the enemy delivered one concentrated fire, and then began to 
advance, first on the right, and then in the centre and on 
the left. They looked for instant and total rout; but in 
this were disappointed. By order of Lieutenant-Colonel 
Scott, his cannon (for he had one piece) was brought for- 
ward, and discharged twice almost in the teeth of the enemy ; 
but the gunner and horses were instantly either killed or 



90 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

wounded, and the piece rendered useless. In front, the 
enemy were repulsed and retired to their cover. In the 
movement against the right, they had also been repulsed ; for, 
after receiving the first volley, the column had deployed, a 
part to the right, and a part to the left of the road. For half 
an hour, the fighting was most desperate ; and, in spite of every 
effort, the enemy were held in their places of concealment; but 
now the Federal troops began gradually to give ground. 
During all this time, Lieutenant-Colonel Scott, with his color- 
guard, Lakin, had been in the extreme front, cheering the 
men and watching the conflict. The colonel's orders had been 
neither to advance nor retire ; for, to advance would result in 
the capture of his command, and, to retire precipitately, might 
be equally disastrous. He therefore sat on his horse and 
watched — a mark for the enemy, and a sign of hope for his 
men. They gradually yielded their position, and he watched, 
cheered and followed. The enemy pursued for a time, and 
then returned to the Landing. 

With the exception of his caisson, Lieutenant-Colonel Scott 
lost nothing. The gun was dragged from the field by Captain 
Trumbull and Lieutenant Crosley. Thus closed the battle of 
Blue Mills Landing. That night Colonel Smith came up, but 
declined to renew the engagement before morning ; and before 
that time, the enemy had crossed the river, and were eyi route 
to join Price before Lexington. 

Of all the battles that have been fought in Missouri, that of 
Blue Mills Landing ranks second to none in point of gal- 
lantry. "Major Stone, Captains Warren, Willet and O'Niel, 
were severely wounded; and also Lieutenants Hobbs, An- 
derson and Knight. The latter refused to retire from the 
field, after being three times wounded, and remained with 
his men till the close of the engagement." "Scott's horse 
was hit several times, and several balls went through his 



WILSON G. WILLIAMS. 91 

clothes. Eight balls went through the flag, in the hands of 
Lakin, and a ninth one struck the staff." Sergeant Aber- 
nethy, who commanded the twelve skirmishers, also deserves 
special mention for his gallantry. 

General R. D. Atchison made the official report of this battle, 
on the part of the enemy. He was not, of course, present in 
the engagement, but that makes no difference ; for he would 
not have told the truth any way. In speaking of the results of 
the battle he says : 

" The Federal troops almost immediately fled, our men pur- 
suing rai)idly, shooting them down until they annihilated the 
rear of their army, taking one caisson, killing about sixty men, 
and wounding, it is said, about seventy. Our men followed 
them like hounds in a wolf-chase, strewing the road with dead 
and wounded, until compelled to give over the chase from 
exhaustion, the evening being very warm. " 

But no rascal of his pattern, would tell the truth against 
himself; and he goes on to say : 

" Colonel Saunders, Colonel Patton, Colonel Childs, Colonel 
Candiff, Colonel Wilfley, Major Grease, Adjutant Shackelford, 
and all other officers and men, so far as I know, behaved gal- 
lantly." 

With all these commands, (and why the commanders if not 
the commands?) the enemy could have had scarcely less than 
four thousand in this engagement. Indeed, with this number of 
men, the Federal troops should have been handled as roughly 
as is declared they were by the rebel historian. Pollard ; for, 
after asserting that the jay-hawkers numbered five thousand 
five hundred, and the "loyal Missourians" only five hundred, 
he goes on to say: — " Charging the jay-hawkers with shouts 
of almost savage ferocity, and fighting with reckless valor, the 
Missourians drove the enemy back ten miles, the conflict becom- 
ing a hand-to-hand fight between detached parties on both 
sides;" and such history as that has sustained the rebellion. 

The 3d Iowa Infantry remained in Northern Missouri until 



92 IOWA COLONELS AND KEGIMENTS. 

the 18th of October, 1861, when it left for Qiiincj^ Illinois. 
Here it remained a few weeks, and was then ordered to Benton 
Barracks, St. Louis. From Benton Barracks, it was sent 
out on the Northern Missouri Railroad, where it remained 
till March, 1862, when it sailed for Savannah, on the Ten- 
nessee River. It took a distinguished part in the battle of 
Shiloh. 

I have stated that the case of Colonel Williams, with refer- 
ence to his conduct at Shelbina, never came to trial, the papers 
having in some way been mislaid or lost. He was therefore 
released, and restored to command in November, while his 
regiment was at Benton Barracks. " Immediately on assum- 
ing command, he arrested a number of officers, his personal 
enemies, without the knowledge of the commandant of the 
post. " For some reason, which I do not understand, this, too, 
was deemed an offense, and he was again put under arrest by 
General Halleck ; but, on a hearing of the charges in this case 
at St. Louis, he was acquitted, and again restored to his com- 
mand. He re-joined his regiment while it was stationed on the 
Northern Missouri Railroad ; and, on its departure for the front, 
left in its command. From this time on, till the date of his 
leaving the service, he was much more popular with his regi- 
ment. It was claimed that his experiences had worked great 
improvement in his conduct ; but whatever is said against Col- 
onel Williams, it must be admitted that, from the first, he was 
a fine disciplinarian. It was doubtless this, with his naturally 
overbearing disposition, that made him so unpopular with his 
regiment. 

But few outside of our State are aware of the important part 
the Iowa troops acted in the battle of Shiloh. On that bloody, 
chaotic field, as at Fort Donelson, the chief credit and glory 
belong to their banners. The disposition and conduct of the 
troops in this engagement, and the particular part sustained by 



WILSON G. WILLIAMS. 93 

tiose from Iowa, are given elsewhere. On the first day's fight, 
\ey saved Granfs army from capture. 

The 3d Iowa Inftmtry disembarked at Pittsburg Landing, on 
tie 17th of March, 1862, with the 4th Division, commanded by 
reneral Steplien Augustus Hurlbut. On the re-organization of 
hat division by brigades, the regiment was assigned to the 
''irst, which was commanded by Colonel Williams, as the rank- 
ng officer. The brigade was composed of the 28th, 32d and 
1st Illinois, the 3d Iowa and Burrow's Battery of light 
rtillery. It was a fine body of troops, and Colonel Williams 
s^as proud of his command. 

The part taken by the 3d Iowa at the battle of Shiloh, I will 
sndeavor to give briefly, after first premising that the divisions 
if Hurlbut and Smith (the latter commanded in the battle by 
kV. H. L. Wallace) were in camp between the front and the 
Lianding. The divisions of Prentiss, McClernand and Sherman 
leld the front, from left to right, respectively. 

Early in the morning of the 6th of April, while eating its 
)reakfast, the 3d Iowa Infantry was startled by firing at the 
ront. Similar firing had occurred in the past few days, and it 
;reated no alarm. But it soon appeared that the firing now 
vas not wholly the work of the pickets, for with every instant 
t continued to increase in volume and rapidity. Couriers, too, 
^ere now seen hurrying in every direction ; and soon the call 
'to arms" was sounded through the camps of both Hurlbut 
uid Wallace. Leaving its breakfast unfinished, and buckling 
)n its armor, the 3d Iowa was soon in line and in march to the 
"ront, under its major ; for its colonel was in command of the 
brigade, and its lieutenant-colonel sick with typhoid fever, and 
ibsent. Marching down the road. Major Stone was directed to 
:he left, and ordered to the support of Prentiss. In front, the 
battle was now raging with the utmost fury, and from i\iQ 3d 
[owa's camp-ground to that point the distance was but little 



94 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

more than a mile. The regiment moved on at quiek-ste]), but 
had not proceeded far before encountering the stragglers and 
the wounded ; and that was the hour when began that babel of 
confusion which, with the exception of a few hours, reigned 
supreme throughout that terrible day. To those who have 
never seen five thousand men frightened in battle, and fleeing 
from a victorious enemy, no idea can be gained, by words, of 
the wildness of the scene, I care not how glaring the picture, 
nor how accurate the language. With the unsuccessful party, 
not only the human, but even the brute creation become over- 
whelmed and crazed with terror. With the Union Army, this 
hour was just dawning on the Shiloh battle-field. 

But the 3d Iowa moved on, paying little heed to the tales of 
of these frightened, disorganized men, and arrived safely at 
the front. The regiment had sought the front for glory, and it 
was resolved now to win it. Its position was at first in an old 
cotton-field; but this was soon abandoned for one further to 
the rear in the skirt of the timber, with the cotton-field still 
in front. It held the right of its brigade, but, with this excep- 
tion, held the left of the entire army. To its right were the 
1st and 2d brigades of its division, and then came the division 
of Wallace, in which were the 2d, 7th, 8th, 12th and 14th Iowa 
regiments. This is the line which was held till four o'clock in 
the afternoon; and this the position where was done such 
magnificient fighting. This line broken, and this position lost, 
and there was no other successful stand made until the fright- 
ened troops had reached the Landing. It was on this line, too, 
that the 8th, 12th and 14th Iowa were captured, as also was the 
58th Illinois. While retreating from this line. Major Stone 
was captured. This was the line which the enemy had tried 
so hard, but unsuccessfully, to break for five long hours. 
When they had accomplished this, not by attacks in front, hut 
by flank movements, the day was so far gone that they could 



WILSON G. WILLIAMS. 95 

not push their successes to full victory ; aud hence, I say, the 
Iowa troops saved GranVs army from capture at Shiloh. 

As to the conduct of the 8d Iowa in this part of the field, I 
can only say : It held its position, when the troops on both its 
right and left had been driven back, and utterly routed. So 
fully did it win the confidence of its commanding general that, 
riding up to Major Stone, he said: "I look to the 3d Iowa to 
retrieve the fortunes of this field;" but, already, the fortunes 
of that part of the field were past retrieving. It is a wonder 
how the regiment escaped capture ; but, like the 2d and 7th 
Iowa, it by some means worked its way through the circling 
lines of the enemy. 

While stationed in the skirt of the timber above alluded to, 
Colonel Williams was badly injured and taken from the field. 
A solid shot struck his horse just behind the saddle, killing it 
instantly, and completely paralyzing the colonel. He did not 
recover from the effects of the injury for many months : indeed 
it was on account of this injury, I am informed, that he finally 
tendered his resignation. 

Out of the four hundred and fifty officers and men of the 3d 
Iowa who were engaged in the battle, more than two hundred 
were either killed, wounded or captured. Captain Hobbs, an 
unassuming, but noble-hearted man, was killed. He was the 
idol of his company. Of the other officers, O'Neil, Knight, 
Merrill and Wayne, were wounded and captured ; Trumbull, 
Ogg, Weiser, Tullis and Hamill were wounded. Sergeant 
Lakin, who bore the battle-flag of the regiment at Blue Mills 
Landing, again flaunted it in the face of the enemy at Shiloh. 
With a few exceptions, every member of the regiment fought 
gallantly. In the second day's fight, the 3d Iowa was com- 
manded by Lieutenant Crosley; but, in the operations of this 
day, it did not suffer severely. 

Colonel Williams, recovering partially from his recent injury, 



96 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

was returned to the command of his regiment, and, after the 
fall of Corinth, marched with his division to Memphis, where 
he was soon after prostrated by sickness. On the 27th of 
November, he resigned his commission, as I have already 
stated. After leaving the service, he was appointed a brig- 
adier-general, but his appointment failed confirmation in the 
Senate. 

I never saw Colonel Williams but once, and that was late in 
the Ml of 1862, when he was on his way to re-join his regi- 
ment, after a leave of absence ; but his person and manners 
impressed me so strongly that I am still able to recall them. 
He has a dark complexion, dark eyes, a large head, and a 
rather low and retreating forehead. In person, he is short, 
and heavy set, with full chest and large, square shoulders. He 
is not attractive in his personal appearance. 

While sitting by himself, he looked grum and uncompan- 
ionable; but his whole manner changed as soon as he was 
addressed. I saw that he was fond of amusement, and all its 
concomitants : indeed, there have been few officers who would 
not occasionally indulge in a game of cards, et cetera. 

As a commanding officer, I judged him to be precise and 
exacting ; and I have since learned that this was his character. 
While in command of his regiment, he was tyrannical, and, 
by a majority of both the officers and men, sincerely hated. 



COLONEL AARON BROWN. 

SECOND COLONEL, THIRD INFANTRY. 

Aaron Brown was born in Mississippi, about the year 
1822, and is the only native from that State who has held a col- 
onel's commission from Iowa. He entered the service from 
the county of Fayette, Iowa, and was the first lieutenant of 
Captain Carman A. Newcomb's company. He was made cap- 
tain, April 8th, 1862, and promoted to the majority of his regi- 
ment, after the resignation of Major William M. Stone. I am 
unacquainted with Colonel Brown's history, prior to his enter- 
ing the service. 

In resuming the history of the 3d Iowa, I shall go back to its 
encampment at Shiloh, where it rested immediately after the 
battle. It was the same whence it had marched on the previ- 
ous Sunday morning to the bloody field. Its dead comrades it 
had gathered and buried ; and now it rested and contemplated 
the scenes of the past conflict. It had won military glory; but 
was this an equivalent for its dead comrades just buried? All 
were sad, and yet all hearts swelled with secret and inexpres- 
sible joy at their miraculous escape from harm. Shiloh had 
taught the regiment a new lesson — to respect the valor of the 
enemy, and, needlessly, not to seek a new encounter ; and such 
has been the experience of every regiment that has once met 
the enemy in a desperate engagement. No one will a second 
time leave his cot in the hospital to be present in battle, and 
yet there are hundreds of instances where this thing has been 
done by novices. Good soldiers soon learn to do their whole 
duty, and no more. 

During the siege of Corinth, and for several months after, 
7 97 



y» IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

the 1st Brigade of the 4th Division was commanded by Gen- 
eral Lanman ; but neither the 8d Iowa, nor any other regiment 
of the brigade, met tlie enemy during tlie environment of that 
place. I of course, except the affairs on the skirmish line. 
Before the fall of the city, tliere was but one affair in front of 
the 3d Iowa, which approached to any thing like an engage- 
ment : this was the charge of the 8th Missouri, of General 
Sherman's command, to capture a block house, known as Bus- 
sel's House. The charge was successful, and gave the regiment 
an enviable reputation ; and it sustained its name well, for it 
was this same regiment that so distinguished itself nearly a 
year after, at Baymond, Mississippi. The position of the 4th 
Division before Corinth was to the left of General Sherman, 
that general holding the extreme right of the besieging army. 
While tlie 3d Iowa was lying in the trenches before Corinth, 
it was joined by Lieutenant-Colonel Scott, who had but just 
recovered from his sickness. " All welcomed him joyfully." 

Much was expected of General Halleck at Corinth. He had 
command of the finest army that had ever been marshaled in 
the South West. The enemy, in his disasters at Shiloh, had 
lost his best general; his troops were disjiirited; and it was 
expected, nay demanded, that Beauregard and his army be 
either routed or captured. But, if General Grant had been 
lazy in pressing the enemy after his defeat at Shiloh, so was 
Halleck cautious not to push him to a new engagement. He 
thought he would capture the whole thing, never dreaming, I 
suppose, but what Beauregard was fool enough to sit still and 
be surrounded. 

But, presto change ! At a quarter before six, on the morning 
of the 30th of May, a deafening explosion was heard in the 
direction of Corinth, and, instantly, dense clouds of smoke 
were seen rising over the city. But few wondered at the 
cause. Pope had told Halleck several days before that Beau- 



AARON BROWN. 99 

regard was evacuating; and that time Pope told the truth. 
Many privates, even, could have told as much. Pope had 
begged eagerly for permission to swing the left wing against 
the enemy's works ; but, JVb ! The severe jar that all had just 
felt was caused by the explosion of the enemy's magazines. 
And so the enemy escaped, and the government gained — a 
little, sickly, strategical point. The whole army was at once 
put under arms, and marched, a part into Corinth and a part 
in pursuit of the enemy. With the divisions of Sherman and 
Hurlbut, there was a strife to see who would be first in the 
city: who was the winning party, I never learned. I only 
know that we, of Pope's command, were put in pursuit. 

Corinth fell on the 30th of May, 1862, and, seven days later, 
Memphis was surrendered to Captain, now Rear- Admiral 
Charles H. Davis. On the 2d of June, and before the fall of 
Memphis, the 4th and 5th Divisions, under General Sherman, 
left Corinth, and marched west in the direction of the last 
named city. The object of this movement was, I believe, to 
co-operate with the fleet of Ellett and Davis in the capture of 
Memphis, and ultimately to open up the railroad between that 
place and Corinth. The news of the fall of Memphis reached 
these troops while they were camped on the high bluffs that 
overlook the Big Hatchie — that stream which, four months 
later. General Hurlbut's Division was to render historic. 
Before them, where they were then encamped, lay the future 
battle-field of Matamora. 

After considerable delay at La Grange and Moscow, General 
Sherman resumed the march to Memphis, where he arrived 
with his command on the 21st of July. The 3d Iowa led the 
van of its division into the city. On the 6th of September 
following, General Hurlbut was ordered back in the direction 
of Corinth ; and, on the departure of his division from Mem- 
phis, the 3d Iowa was again in the van. 



100 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

On the 13th of September this command was encamped at a 
point on Spring Creek, where it remained till the 19th instant, 
when a detachment of it, consisting of the 1st Brigade and two 
battalions of tlie 2d Illinois cavalry, under General Lauman, 
marched south to create a diversion in favor of General Grant. 
It wiU be remembered that this was the date of the battle of 
luka ; and the reason of this movement on tlie part of General 
Lauman will be found elsewhere. General Lauman's scouts 
came on the enemy in the vicinity of La Grange. They were 
moving north in force; the column, on the march, was a mile 
and a half in length. The force of Lauman being unequal to 
engage them, that general beat a hasty retreat, and marched 
till he came within supporting distance of General Hurlbut; 
but the enemy, although they pursued, declined to give battle. 
Northern Mississippi was at this time full of scouting parties 
of the enemy: they were actively developing their plans for 
the re-capture of Corinth and the destruction of General 
Grant's army. Price was disheartened by his defeat at luka; 
but Van Dorn resolved to strike again at Corinth. 

While General Hurlbut was encamped near Bolivar, Tennes- 
see, on the 3d of October, 1862, he received orders to march 
promptly in the direction of Corinth ; and the next morning 
reveille beat at one o'clock. Soon after the column was in 
motion. He had his own division, and, in addition to thase 
troops, the 68th Ohio and 12th Michigan, two regiments of 
Ross' command that had come down from Jackson. The 
march was to be made in light trim — only two wagons to the 
regiment. The ambulances were to go along, and the men 
knew that aU this meant fighting. The march was pushed 
rapidly, and, just beyond Pocahontas, the cavalry van-guard 
came on the enemy's pickets. That night the column reached 
the Big Muddy, about two miles west of the Hatchie, and that 
same forenoon Van Dorn and Price had been repulsed and 



AAROX BROWN. 101 

utterly routed at Corinth. All that afternoon, the enemy had 
been in rapid retreat in the direction of the Hatehie ; but of all 
this General Hurlbut was ignorant. 

The 1st Brigade had just stacked their arms, and were pre- 
paring supper, when it was reported that the cavalry in front 
were engaging the enemy. Instantly orderlies began flying 
to and fro, and for a time there was much apprehension ; but 
the firing soon ceased and all remained quiet till morning. 
That night General Ord arrived from Jackson via Bolivar, and 
reported the defeat of the enemy and his subsequent retreat in 
the direction of the Hatehie. He would probably be met on 
the morrow, and all nerved themselves for the conflict. Gen- 
eral Ord, who was the ranking ofiicer, now assumed command 
of the forces. In the early part of the engagement which fol- 
lowed he was wounded, and retired from the field, leaving 
Hurlbut in command of the Federal forces. To Hurlbut, 
therefore, belongs the credit of that brilliant victory. 

The battle of the Hatehie, or Matamora, was fought on the 
5th of October, 1862, and was an unequal and most desperate 
engagement. It was good fortune for the 4th Division that the 
enemy had been previously routed and demoralized ; and also 
that he was being hard pressed by Rosecrans: had this not 
been so. General Hurlbut and his command must have been 
certainly crushed. Even after the demonstration of the Fed- 
eral cavalry of the previous evening, on the west bank of the 
Hatehie, the enemy never dreamed that there was any consid- 
erable force to resist his advance. He supposed it was a small 
cavalry command, sent forward to harrass him on his retreat. 
Therefore, on the morning of the 5th, he began pushing his 
inlantry across the Hatehie with aU confidence; his surprise 
can be imagined, when he met the division of Hurlbut. Beat- 
ing a hasty retreat back across the bridge, he took up a strong 
position on the bluffs opposite; but the particulars of this 



102 IOWA COLONEI.S AND REGIMENTS. 

engagement appear in the sketch of General Lauman, The 3d 
Iowa was one of the regiments that was filed to the right, into 
the pocket, and, with the other troops there stationed, was sub- 
jected to a murderous fire, without being able to protect itself, 
or return it. But for the movement round the bluffs to the 
left, General Hurlbut must have been defeated before Rose- 
crans came up. 

The disproportion in killed and wounded of the 3d Iowa was 
unprecedented : two only were killed, while nearly sixty were 
wounded. One of the former was Lieutenant Dodd. He was 
struck by a shell just before reaching the bridge, and killed 
instantly. Captains Weiser and Kostman were wounded, as 
also were Lieutenants Hamill, Foote and C. E. Anderson. 
The latter was wounded just at the close of the battle, after 
having done his duty nobly. In their conduct in the battle, 
the men of the regiment vied with the ofiicers; and their 
names should all be recorded, to go down in honor to posterity. 

After the fighting had closed and the result of all three bat- 
tles learned, there was both sadness and rejoicing. The 3d 
Iowa, with its division, marched back to Bolivar, and there 
tendered and received congratulations. General Hurlbut was 
lavish of his praises to all his troops: — " Comrades in battle, 
partakers of the weary march and long watches ! the title of 
the Fighting Fourth, earned at Shiloh, has been burnished 
with additional splendor." He was noio Mr. Hurlbut, and 
no longer General. His heart was as warm and tender as a 
woman's. But he had covered himself with glory, had been 
made a major-general, and was now taking leave of his divis- 
ion. 

After the battle of the Hatchie, the seven subsequent months 
were not eventful to the 3d Iowa Infantry. General Lauman 
succeeded General Hurlbut in the command of the 4th Divis- 
ion, and under him the regiment remained, and, in the follow- 



AARON BROWN. 103 

ing spring, followed him to Vicksburg. It had in the mean- 
time made many fatiguing marches, the most important of 
which was that under General Grant, through Central Missis- 
sippi to the Yockona. For many weeks it was stationed on 
guard-duty at Moscow, on the line of the Memphis and 
Charleston Railroad. During these seven months, there had 
been many changes in the regiment, the chief one of which 
was the resignation of Colonel Williams, and the promotion of 
Major Brown to that rank. 

On the 18th of May, 1864, the 3d Iowa left Memphis for 
Vicksburg. Its days of rest and quiet camp life had passed, 
and now, for many months to come, it was to endure the hard- 
ships and breast the dangers of active field service. With its 
brigade it sailed up the Yazoo River, at day-light of the 21st of 
May. The object was to open up communication with Sher- 
man, then just forcing the enemy back into his inner-works at 
Vicksburg. It is claimed that companies G and K, of the 3d 
Iowa, were the first to occupy the enemy's strong works at 
Haine's Bluff"; but about this there must be some mistake. 

One incident in the passage of the 3d Iowa from Memphis to 
Vicksburg, I must not omit to mention. The Crescent City, 
on which the regiment was embarked, had arrived, in the 
afternoon of the 19th instant, at the bend of the river near 
Island No. 65, and was sailing on unsuspectingly, when it was 
suddenly opened on with two howitzers from the eastern bank. 
Thirteen men of the regiment were wounded at the first dis- 
charge, one of them mortally ; but, before the guerillas had 
time to re-load, a gunboat came up and drove the wretches from 
their cover. This circumstance will be remembered, when I 
state that the 41st and 53d Illinois, having landed and pursued 
the guerillas without being able to overtake them, returned 
and burned to the ground the village of Greenville, some two 
miles below the scene of murder. If reports were true, its fate 



104 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

was merited, and for other reasons ; for it was said that, early 
in tlie war, a father and his son, Union residents of Greenville, 
were headed up in barrels by the fiendish citizens, and rolled 
down the steep bank into the Mississippi. 

Before Vicksburg, the services of the 3d Iowa were the same 
as those of the other troops, buried in the heated trenches 
around that beleaguered city. 

I now hasten to the most eventful chapter in the history 
of the 3d Iowa Infantry— its charge on the enemy's works 
at Jackson, Mississippi, on the 12th of July, 1863. Vicks- 
burg had fallen, and the 3d Iowa had marched with the 
forces of General Sherman against Johnson, who, for several 
weeks, had been raising the siege — with official dispatches. On 
the advance of Sherman, Johnson had fallen back and planted 
himself behind his works at Jackson ; and there he was on the 
12th of July, in a state of siege, confronted and watched by 
three corps — the 9th, under Parke, on his right; the 15th, 
under Steele, in his front ; and the 13th, under Ord, on his left. 
General Laumau was in Ord's command, and his division held 
the right of Sherman's army. And thas matters stood on the 
morning of the 12th of July. 

At the date above mentioned, it was thought by General Ord 
that the position of Laumau's Division was too much retired. 
He therefore ordered it forward, so that its left should dress on 
the right of General Hovey, whose division, from right to left, 
came next in order. Its right was to be thrown forward so as 
to correspond with the advance on the left. The object was to 
shorten and strengthen the line, and not to bring on an engage- 
ment; nor would one have followed, but for the aspirations of 
an ambitious general, who was charged by his own men with 
hunting for promotion among the slaughtered and mangled 
soldiers of his command. 

The scene of this merciless butchery is south of the city of 



■lAK 

AARON BEOWN. 



Jackson, and between the New Orleans and Jackson Ba.foad 
.nd Pearl Biver. "At about 9 o'clock in the morning,' (I 
,uote from Major Crosley's official report) "the 3d Iowa, 41st 
and 63d Illinois Infantry, and the 5th Ohio Battery of s>x 
guns crossed tire New Orleans and Jackson Railroad, at a pomt 
about two miles south of Jackson, and one mile from the 
enemy's works. After crossing, line of battle was formed, 
skirmishers thrown out. and the line ordered forward. After 
advancing about one-fourth of a mile, the line was halted; and 
the battery, placed in position one hundred yards in onr rear 
opened Are with sheU, and continued to fire rapidly for about 
twenty minutes. The enemy replied promptly with two guns 
getting our range the first shot. As soon as the battery ceased 
firing, the Une again moved forward. We advanced half a 
mile through timber and a dense under-growth, our skirmish- 
ers meeting with no opposition, when, coming to the edge of 
an open field, the Une was again halted. Here we were jomed 
by the 28th Illinois, which took position on our right." There 
the line should have rest«l; but General Lauman now commg 
up, ordered it forward. 

This was now the position: In front were open, undulatmg 
fields, cleared of every thing that could afford protection or 
cover, even down to corn-stalks; about four hundred yards m 
advance were the enemy's skirmisher., backed by reserves 
and, a little further on, a strong line of works, so constructed 
as to give the enemy a concentrated fire on a charging column. 
Behind these works, in addition to two brigades of mfantry, 
were fourteen cannon-more than two full batteries, whose 
dark mouths spoke almost certain death to assailants. There 
was in addition, a formidable abattis, constructed with occa- 
sional gaps, to pass which, it would be necessary for the 
charging party to break its line and as.semble in groups. This 
formidable strong-hold was to be carried by less than one 



106 IOWA COLONELS AND BEGIMENTS. 

thousand men, and that, too, without any diversion in their 
favor. 

The brigade advanced in compliance with orders, until it had 
reached, forced back and occupied the position of tlie enemy's 
skirmishers. The order had been to moveforivard ; but Colonel 
Pugh, the brigade commander, believing there must be some 
mistake, again reported to General Lauman — this time in 
person. He explained to the general the point his command 
had reached, the position of the enemy, and the character of his 
works, and then waited for further orders ; but they were still 
the same— to move forward. There could be no mistaking the 
general's purpose. All, from field-officers to privates, saw the 
situation ; but, although the movement filled them with amaze- 
ment, there was no faltering. Literally, they were to enter the 
jaws of death ; but they would not sully their good name by 
disobeying orders. 

The order to advance was given, and the whole line moved 
forward at double-quick and in perfect order, when — but 
what need of further recital ? They were, of course, repulsed. 
Many, passing the abattis, advanced to within j)istol-shot 
range of the enemy's works; they could go no further, and, 
after struggling a few moments, retreated precipitately. As 
soon as the exhausted, bleeding troops reached the edge of the 
timber, whence they had advanced before encountering the 
enemy's skirmishers, they rallied promptly, and, soon after, 
were marched back to the point on the railroad at which they 
had crossed in the morning. All the dead, and nearly all the 
wounded, were left upon the field; nor would the enemy allow 
them to be reached and rescued by flag of truce ; and there they 
lay, mangled and bleeding, beneath the rays of the scorching 
sun, comrades in agony, as they had long been comrades in 
battle. 

The escape of any from death was almost miraculous ; and 



AARON BROWN. 107 

yet, iu the 3d Iowa, the loss was only about fifty per cent. The 
regiment went into the engagement with an aggregate of two 
hundred and forty-one ofiicers and men, and lost, in killed, 
wounded and missing, one hundred and fourteen. Company 
B lost all three of her officers, killed — the two Ruckmans and 
Lieutenant Hall. Colonel BrowTi was severely wounded. The 
loss of the 53d Illinois was greater than that of any other regi- 
ment. Among others, it lost its gallant colonel. He was struck 
by a charge of canister, and fell from his horse, literally torn in 
pieces. It is said that General Lauman wept when he looked 
on the remnant of his old brigade. 

After the lamentable affair at Jackson, the 3d Iowa returned 
with its division to Vicksburg, and sailed thence to Natchez. 
In the following Winter it again returned to Vicksburg, and 
accompanied General Sherman on his march to Meridian. 
The regiment re-enlisted as veterans, and came North in the 
early sj)ring of 1864. Returning to the front, it was ordered to 
join General Sherman, already on the march against Atlanta. 
Before the fall of that city. Colonel BrowTi, and a majority of 
the field- and line-officers resigned their commissions. In 
re-officering the regiment, a lieutenant was promoted to the 
lieutenant-colonelcy : it was entitled to no colonel, on account 
of the fewness of its numbers. On the memorable 22d of July, 
1864, before Atlanta, the regiment was again put in the thickest 
of the fight, and lost heavily. Among the killed was its lieu- 
tenant-colonel, who had only the day before received his 
commission. The regiment was soon after consolidated with 
the 2d Iowa Infantry, and lost its organization as a regiment. 

In closing this sketch of Colonel Brown and his regiment, I 

will add an extract from a letter of Captain J. H. Reid, of the 

15th Iowa: 

"Our men, captured on the 22d of July, were taken through 
Atlanta that day, and their names reported to the provost- 



108 



IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 



marshal-general, when they were marched to East Point the 
same night. In passing through the city, whenever a shell fell 
in the streets from our batteries, they cheered and sang, 'Rally 
Round the Flag.' Rebel officers told them to dry up, they 
were prisoners of war; but they answered, *We will always 
cheer a Yankee shell.' A squad of rebel cavalry was passing 
through the streets with the flag of the 3d Iowa Infantry, cap- 
tured after the color-sergeant fell, literally pierced through and 
through with bullets. Some of that regiment among the 
prisoners saw their old flag in the hands of the enemy. They 
made a rush for it, wrested it from its captors, and, amid 
torrents of threats and curses from the guards, tore it into a 
thousand shreds . ' ' 

I never saw Colonel Brown; but, from what I can learn of 
him, he must be a large man, with phlegmatic temperament, 
and an easy-going disposition. He may not be a brilliant man, 
but he was certainly a brave and foithful officer. 



MAJOR-GENERAL GRENVILLE M. DODGE. 

FIRST COLONEL, FOURTH INFANTRY. 

Grenville Mellen Dodge is a native of Massachusetts, 
and was born at Danvers, Essex county, on the 12th day of 
April, 1832. His father, Sylvanus Dodge, was, prior to 1844, a 
provision dealer; but subsequently, and up to the time of his 
removal West, was Postmaster of the town of Danvers. Gren- 
ville remained with his father till he was sixteen years of age, 
having prior to that time been afforded only a limited common 
school education ; for his father's business had been such as to 
require much of his son's assistance. At the age of sixteen, he 
was sent to the Academy at Durham, New Hampshire, then to 
that of Newbury; Vermont, and in 1850 was entered a student 
of Norwich Military University, at that time under the super- 
intendence of the late Captain Alden Patridge. Here he com- 
pleted his education, which was thoroughly practical, scientific 
and military. 

In 1851, he left Norwich, and, coming West, lived for a time 
in Peoria, Illinois, where he obtained a situation in an Engi- 
neer Corps on the Pock Island Railroad. His skill as an 
engineer, with his remarkable judgment and great ability to 
control men, soon discovering themselves, he was entrusted 
with the survey of this road to Peoria. On the completion of 
this survey, he came to Iowa, and was for several years in the 
employ of the Mississippi and Missouri River Railroad Com- 
pany, during which time he projected surveys from the Mis- 
sissippi River to the Missouri, and up the valley of the Platte. 
As a civil engineer, young Dodge was very successful. 

In May, 1854, he was married to Miss Annie Brown, of 

109 



no IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

Peoria, Illinois, and for a short time resided in Iowa City. In 
tlie fall of the same year, he removed to Nebraska, where, in 
connection with his father and brother, he remained nearly a 
year, taking up claims on the Elkhorn River. At that day, 
this section of Nebraska was the extreme limit of the frontier 
settlements, and of easy access to the hostile tribes of Indians, 
who, in the latter part of 1855, commenced their hostilities 
against the white settlers. In consequence of these troubles, 
G. M. Dodge returned to Iowa, and settled in Council Bluffs ; 
where, engaging in the banking business, he continued to 
reside till the beginning of the war. 

The excitement produced at Council Bluffs by the first news 
of the firing on Fort Sumter had hardly subsided, before Gen- 
eral Dodge was recruiting a company for the service. Having 
filled his company, he rejxtrted, early in the spring of 1861, to 
Governor S. J. Kirkwood, who, after learning what he had 
done, was so much pleased with him that he clothed him with 
proper authority, and sent him to AVashington in quest of arms 
and munitions of war for the State. The promptness with 
which he discharged the duties of his commission attracted the 
notice of the War Department, and he was offered a commission 
in the regular army ; but this honor he declined, for he pre- 
ferred to serve his own State. On his return from Washington, 
he was commissioned colonel of the 4th Iowa Infantry, his 
commission dating the 17th of June, 1861. 

In less than two weeks after his regiment was organized, and 
before he had been assigned to duty, he marched against Poin- 
dexter, drove him from Northern Missouri, and returned to 
Council Bluffs. On the loth of August following, he reported 
at St. Louis, Missouri, for duty ; and was ordered to Holla, to 
which place he at once proceeded. In the following October, 
he was made Commandant of the Post. On the first of Novem- 
ber, 1861, he led an expedition to Huston and Salem ; and met 



GRENVILLE M. DODGE. Ill 

and defeated the enemy at both places. In December, he was 
[juite severely wounded, but in what manner I am unadvised. 
On recovering from this wound, he was assigned by General 
Curtis (then organizing his army for an advance on Price) to 
the command of a brigade. With this command he led the 
advance against Springfield, on the morning of the 13th of 
February, 18G2. 

Company E, of the 4th Iowa Infimtry, one of the regiments 
3f Colonel Dodge's Brigade, being deployed as skirmishers 
inder Lieutenant Stitt and ordered forward, never halted until 
t had taken possession of the city. Company H, Captain D. 
A.. Craig, of the 17th Iowa, performed a similar feat at Jack- 
5on, Mississippi, the 14th of May, 1863. At Springfield, the 
mtree and occupation of the city was attended with much 
;port. After the company had routed the enemy, who were 
principally stragglers, and made their captures of prisoners, 
lorses &c., they broke for the city saloons and bakeries; and 
vhen General Curtis, accompanied by his staff and body-guard, 
^me riding through to the public square, there he found 
;hem, feasting on beer and ginger-bread — their first spoils of 
yar. 

The object of General Curtis' campaign was not simply the 
sapture of Springfield: it was the defeat of General Price's 
irmy ; and accordingly, on the morning of the fourteenth, the 
\xvciY of the South West started in pursuit of the enemy. In 
.his pursuit. Colonel Dodge's command met and engaged the 
inemy at Cane Creek, Sugar Creek, and Blackburn's Mill: 
n the last of these engagements, the rebels were led by the 
lotorious Gates. These encounters took place on the 14th, 17th, 
Lud 27th of February, 1862, respectively. 

How Van Dorn, uniting with Price after that general's flight 
rom Missouri, marched on General Curtis at Pea Ridge has 
)een already given, as has also the desperate fighting that 



112 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

occurred on the right, between Carr's Division and the rebel 
forces. 

At day-light on the morning of the 7th, the troops of Carr's 
Division were put hurriedly under arms, and marched north- 
ward. None but Carr and his brigade commanders knew the 
object of the movement ; for it was supposed the enemy would 
make their attack from the south and south-west. But no time 
was given for breakfast, and all knew there must be danger 
from an unexpected quarter. Colonel Dodge, having marched 
his brigade a mile or more, turned eastward, along what was 
known as the White River road. Companies E and K, of the 
4th Iowa, constituted the van-guard, they being followed by 
one section of the 1st Iowa Battery. Suddenly the sharp 
barking of musketry was heard. Dodge had come upon the 
enemy's cavalry, reconnoitering for the advance of their 
infantry ; but this force was soon dispersed, and pursued 
through the timber and past the rough and rocky hills, beyond 
and around which was Cross Timber Hollows. Dodge took up 
his position on these hills, with the enemy beyond in the fallen 
timber. Colonel Vandever, with his brigade, was to the left 
on the Springfield road; and there the severe fighting first 
began. Vandever's line was soon broken, and forced back, 
and Dodge had no alternative but to retire. In the meantime, 
the enemy were moving round Dodge's right. Gaining the 
ground out of the fallen timber, they swung round to the 
south, and, the first intimation he had of their approach, they 
were moving in heavy masses through open country to pass 
his right, and cut him off. Promptly changing position "by 
the right flank, file left," the colonel threw his handful of 
troops along an old fence, with timber on his right and left, 
and an open field in his front ; in the latter, the enemy were 
forming for a charge. At this alarming juncture, he had only 
two regiments— the 4th Iowa and 35th Illinois. The enemy 



GRENVILLE M. DODGE. 113 

outnumbered hiui nearly ten to one; and, in addition, they 
were supported by artillery. Concealing his men behind the 
fence, Colonel Dodge awaited their approach. After a 
vigorous cannonading, their infantry came sweeping across the 
field in magnificent style and with a hideous yell, expecting 
little opposition; but they were met with a deadly fire and 
driven back. The charge was renewed several times, and each 
time repulsed. Nor could they force Colonel Dodge from his 
position, till they began moving columns past his right and 
left flank. It was the fighting of the 4th Iowa and 35th 
Illinois, in this position, that so challenged the admiration of 
General Van Dorn, and other rebel officers. 

The services of Colonel Dodge at Pea Ridge ranked those of 
every other brigade commander: there were none to dispute 
with him this honor. He was here a second time wounded, 
and soon after sent to St. Louis, in charge of the surgeon of the 
3d Iowa cavalry. 

The important services of Colonel Dodge were now recog- 
nized by the Government ; and he was, on the 31st of March, 
1862, made a brigadier-general. Early in June of the same 
year, he was made Post Commandant of Columbus, Kentucky, 
and, on the 28th of the same month, was assigned to the 
command of the Central Division, Army of the Tennessee, 
with head-quarters at Trenton. On the 30th of the following 
October, he assumed command of the District of Corinth ; and 
the magnificent works, erected for the defense of that place, 
were planned and constructed under his personal supervision. 
From October, 18G2, till the 8th of July, 1863, when by order 
of General Hurlbut he assumed command of the left wing of 
the 16th Army Corps, General Dodge was engaged repeatedly 
with the enemy under Forrest, Van Dorn, Chalmers, Ruggles 
and Ferguson ; and, in every engagement and expedition, he 
was successful. In addition to his other labors in the summer 



114 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

of 18o3, he organized five regiments of colored troops, and 
several companies of heavy artillery, also colored troops. 

In the fall of 1863, General Dodge was transferred, with his 
command, from Corinth to Pulaski, Tennessee. He left his 
old field of operations late in October, following on with the 
rear of Sherman's army, then en route for Chattanooga, but a 
history of these movements I have given elsewhere. Estab- 
lishing his head-quarters at Pulaski, ho began opening the 
Nashville and Decatur Railroad, and by Spring had the task 
nearly completed. 

General Dodge most distinguished himself in the Atlanta 
campaign. The troops of his command were the same that 
he had commanded on garrison- and railroad-duty. Among 
them were three Iowa regiments — the 2d, 7th and 39th. He 
joined General Sherman at Chattanooga, early in May, and soon 
marched out to Dalton, General Johnson's boasted stronghold. 
Through nearly this entire campaign he held the right of Sher- 
man's army ; but the details of his services on this march will 
be more fully given in the sketches of the Iowa regiments of 
his command. For his gallant and important services in this 
campaign, he was made a major-general, and there are few 
oflicers who have more richly earned the rank. 

The general was wounded for the third time, before Atlanta. 
It happened thus : the morning in question he went out to the 
trenches of the skirmish line, sporting a new hat, trimmed 
with a brilliantly polished bugle. If I am rightly informed, 
some important movement was on hand, in which he was to 
take part, and, prior to moving, he exposed his head at one of 
the loop-holes under the head-log, to make observations. The 
sun, which was shining brightly, reflected on the bugle of his 
hat, making a fine target for the enemy's sharp-shooters. The 
rebel's aim was so accurate that the ball struck near the bugle, 
and, going through the general's hat, passed round under the 



GREm^ILLE M. DODGE. 115 

scalp. It did not prove fatal, though for several weeks it dis- 
abled him for service. This accident occurred early in August, 
after which he came North, and never after returned to his 
old command. 

On recovering from his wound, he was first placed in com- 
mand at Vicksburg, Mississippi ; but, in a short time after, 
succeeded General Rosecrans in Missouri. He is still in com- 
mand of that department, with head-quarters at St. Louis. 

During the present war, no oflBcer, whether of the regular or 
volunteer service, has made a better record than Major-General 
Dodge. One officer from our State has made a more brilliant 
one— General Corse; but that general's services are in no 
manner to be compared with those of General Dodge. His 
duties have been varied, and in many instances have involved 
the greatest responsibility and complexity; but he has met 
with uniform success in every department of his labors, and 
has never been relieved from a command unless it was by 
orders assigning him to another and more important one. 
His worth has been appreciated by General Grant, who, on 
more than one occasion, has tendered him high comi^liments. 
During operations around Vicksburg, General Dodge was in 
command at Corinth, one hundred and fifty miles removed 
from the former city; and yet General Grant stated officially, 
I am credibly informed, that there was no officer of Dodge's 
rank in his army to whom he was more indebted for his suc- 
cess in capturing the stronghold. 

In person. General Dodge is a small man, weighing only 
about one hundred and thirty jiounds. I never saw him but 
once, which was in the summer of 1862, as I was passing 
through Trenton, Tennessee, at that time the general's head- 
quarters. He was standing upon the depot platform, and was 
in conversation with Lieutenant W. S. Burke, of the 17th Iowa. 
From the lieutenant I afterwards learned that this was the 



116 IOWA colonp:i-s and regiments. 

giilhiiit, distiuguishetl General Dodge, and I eonft'.ss I was 
surprised. He Ls slightly stooping in the shoulders, and, at 
first sight, does not look like the man he is. He h{\s a fine 
eye, tliough, which, after seeing his shoulder-straps, was the 
first thing that attracted my attention. 

But he has the following distinguishing traits of chanuter, 
for without them he could never have accomplished what he 
has. He has an iron will, a mind rich in expedients, and a 
perseverance that is active and untiring: these traits, with 
promptness of action, and a judgment remarkably matured for 
a man of his years, have conspirtnl to make him in fact, as he 
is in rank, one of the best ofUccrs of our army. If Iowa has 
been honorcil by her troops in the field, she luus been CM^ually 
honored by her general officers; and in this n-spcct she is 
indebtetl to no one more than to Genenil Dodge. 



BRIGADIER-GENERAL J. A. WILLIAMSON. 

SECOND COLONEL, FOURTH INFANTRY. 

James Alexander Williamson, the successor of Major- 
General Dodge to the colonelcy of the 4th Iowa Infantry, is a 
Southerner by birth, and a good representative of the old-style 
chivalry. He is a native of Columbia, Adair county, Ken- 
tucky ; where he was born on the 8th day of February, 1829. 
All that I know of his early history is, that he was educated at 
Knox College, Illinois, where he was known as a hard student 
and accurate scholar. In 1845, he removed to Iowa, and, ten 
years later, located in Des Moines, the present home of his 
family. His profession is the law, in the practice of which he 
was engaged just before entering the army. 

Soon after the second call of the President for troops, in the 
summer of 1861, General Williamson enlisted in the volunteer 
service for " during the war. " He was commissioned 1st lieu- 
tenant and adjutant of the 4th Iowa Infantry, on the 8th of 
August, 1861; since which time his history has been almost 
identical with the history of that regiment ; and, as much as 
we admire the general's military career, we could not, if we 
would, pay him a higher compliment ; for to no Iowa regiment 
is the State more largely indebted for its military renown than 
to the noble 4th Iowa. At Pea Ridge, its conduct was most 
gallant, challenging alike the admiration of friend and foe. 
General Curtis said : — " This regiment won immortal honors ;" 
and General Van Dorn:— "I never saw troops stand up and 
fight so before." 

During the thirty months subsequent to the 23d of January, 
1862, the time when the 4th Iowa left Rolla, Missouri — in its 

117 



118 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

march under General Curtis against General Price to Spring- 
field and to the Ozark Mountains ; from that point to Batesville 
and across the State of Arkansas to Helena ; thence to Chicka- 
saw Bayou and up the Arkansas Eiver to Arkansas Post ; from 
Milliken's Bend round tlirough Grand Gulf and Jackson to the 
rear of Vicksburg, and then, after the fall of that city, back to 
Jackson ; from Vicksburg to Memphis, and thence across the 
country to Chattanooga ; and finally, in its march with General 
Sherman against Atlanta — its record is one continued series of 
achievements, unsurpassed for success and brilliancy. 

That I do not speak of this regiment in too high terms of 
praise, the following order of General Grant is proof: 

''Head-Quarters Military Division of the Mississippi, 
Nashville, Tennessee, February 2d, 1864. 

" The Board of officers of the 15th Army Corps, appointed to 
determine the battles each regiment and battery of that com- 
mand are entitled to inscribe on their colors and guidons, have 
made the following award, in the case of the 4th Iowa Infan- 
try : — Pea Bidge ; First at Chickasaw Bayou ; Arkansas Post ; 
Vicksburg — siege and assaults on the 19th and 22d of May; 
Jackson ; Chattanooga. " 

But this order is imperfect in details. The following are the 
skirmishes and engagements in which the 4th Iowa took part, 
previous to joining the campaign of General Sherman against 
Atlanta : — Pea Ridge ; Chickasaw Bayou ; Arkansas Post ; 
Jackson (May 14th, 1863) ; siege and assaults at Vicksburg ; 
Jackson (July 12th, 1863) ; Cherokee Station ; Caney Creek ; 
Tuscumbia; Lookout Mountain; and Ringgold. This too, 
including the battles that the 4th Iowa was engaged in on the 
Atlanta campaign, is the battle-record of General Williamson. 

When Colonel, now Major-General Dodge, was assigned to 
the command of a brigade under General Curtis, he retained 
Adjutant J. A. Williamson upon his staff, and made him his 
acting assistant adjutant-general. At the battle of Pea Ridge, 
Lieutenant Williamson acted as aid-de-camp to Colonel Dodge, 



JAMES A. WILLIAMSON. 119 

and, by his coolness and promptness, rendered important 
service. I might add, it was his good conduct in that engage- 
ment tliat made him lieutenant-colonel of his regiment; for 
Lieutenant-Colonel Galligan had resigned, for reasons which I 
will not mention. On' the confirmation of Colonel Dodge as 
brigadier-general, Lieutenant-Colonel Williamson was promo- 
ted to the colonelcy of the 4th Iowa Infantry. 

On the third day's fight at Chickasaw Bayou, Colonel Wil- 
liamson, in command of his regiment, distinguished himself. 

The fleet bearing the command of General Sherman entered 
the mouth of the Yazoo River, on the morning of the 26th of 
December, 1862, and proceeded up that stream until opposite 
Johnson's plantation, which lies on the south bank of the river, 
and some five miles below Haine's Bluff. At this point Gene- 
ral Frederick Steele, in command of the 4th Division, 13th 
Army Corps, debarked his command, and, under instructions 
from General Sherman, sent out Blair's Brigade on the Johnson 
road, which leads to the Walnut Hills, in the direction of 
Vicksburg. That day reconnoissances were made, and that 
night a new point of attack was determined on. Accordingly, 
on the following morning, General Steele re-embarked with 
the brigades of Hovey and Thayer, (in the last of which were 
the 4th, 9th, 26th and 30th Iowa) and, moving further up the 
river, effected a landing just above the mouth of Chickasaw 
Bayou. From near this point to the Walnut Hills, a distance 
of four miles or more, extends a narrow, winding causeway, 
or levee, and over this was the only accessible way to the point 
of attack; for, on either side of the levee, the country is 
covered with brush and timber, and is so low that, at that 
time, much of it was under water. Along this highway, 
which had been obstructed by the enemy with brush and 
fallen trees, the brigades of Hovey and Thayer moved, till 
they had arrived in the vicinity of the bluffs— General Steele 



120 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

says, "within about eight hundred yards; " but it could hardly 
have been so near. "At this point the levee turned to the left, 
and continued in a curve for about eight hundred yards;" 
and, on its farther side, were the enemy's skirmishers and 
sharp-shooters. General Hovey's Brigade, which was in the 
advance, endeavored to remove the obstructions in its, front, 
and dislodge the enemy's sharp-shooters ; but the position was 
covered by the enemy's artillery on the bluff, which made it 
impossible. But this point gained, and still General Steele 
had little assurance of success ; for the steep sides of the bluff 
were lined with rifle-pits, in which the enemy were lodged in 
force. The enemy's artillery, too, frowned down upon him 
from four different points. He believed it impossible to make 
a successful assault, and, falling back to the river, returned to 
Johnson's plantation. On the morning of the 29th instant, 
General Thayer's Brigade, being the first off the boats, was 
hurried rapidly forward. It was to be held in reserve, but the 
zeal of its commander led it directly to the front. "The 26th 
Iowa was detached to cut a road," and the 30th was met by 
General Steele, and turned to the right ; but the 4th, under the 
lead of its gallant colonel, moved forward at double-quick, and 
was the first to enter the enemy's second tier of rifle-pits. It 
was for its gallant conduct at this point that the 4th Iowa was 
permitted to inscribe on its colors, '■'■First at Chickasaw Bayou." 
But the regiment's bravery was of no avail, and that assault 
was mere butchery ; for the whole of Pemberton's Vicksburg 
army was in possession of the bluffs. 

The fact that General Sherman ordered, or permitted, that 
assault, was, with many, new evidence of his insanity ; but it 
is now, I believe, well settled that the orders under which he 
acted were unconditional and imperative. 

The engagement at Pea Ridge was more protracted and 
exhausting, but, fov fierceness, it is in no way to be compared 



JAMES A. WILLIAMSON. 121 

with that at Chickasaw Bayou. In each of these battles, the 4th 
Iowa was in the hardest of tlie conflict ; but, considering the 
time it was engaged in each, its loss was fifty per cent, greater 
in the latter than in the former. Its loss at Chickasaw Bayou 
was one hundred and twelve, out of an aggregate of three 
hundred and fifty taken into the engagement. Lieutenants 
L. Pitzer, E. C. Miller, and J. H. Miller were among the 
killed; and Colonel Williamson and Captain R. A. Stitt of 
Company F, among the wounded. 

In the re-organization of the army before the final Vicksburg 
campaign, the 4th Iowa Infantry was assigned to the loth 
Army Corps; and, with that command, it has served ever 
since. Its losses in the assaults on the enemy's works in rear 
of Vicksburg were heavy ; and at Chattanooga, where, under 
General Osterhaus, it joined General Hooker in scaling 
Lookout Mountain, the loss in killed was especially heavy. 
In the march of General Sherman on Atlanta, it engaged the 
enemy at Resaca, New Hope Church, Kenesaw Mountain, and 
in the battles of the 22d and 28th of July, and at Jonesboro. 
Its conduct before Atlanta, on the 22d of July, was gallant in 
the extreme, as was also that of the 9th Iowa. An account of 
the part it acted, during that day, will be found in the sketch 
of the last named regiment. 

In the march from Atlanta to Savannah, the 4th Iowa was 
brigaded with the 9th, 2oth, 26th, 30th, and 31st Iowa 
regiments — the same troops who afterwards captured the city 
of Columbia, South Carolina. While in rear of Savannah, 
these troops had a compliment paid them, to which I should in 
justice allude. The brigade. General Williamson commanding, 
arrived in rear of Savannah, on the 11th of December, and, on 
the 20th instant, was one of the commands selected to carry 
the enemy's works, and force an entrance into the city. The 
assault was to come off on the morning of the 21st ; but the 



122 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

night i)revious General Hardee fled. To appreciate the value 
of this compliment, it is necessary to understand the position 
of the brigade, and the character of obstacles to be overcome. 
Its position was in the low lands south-west of Savannah, and 
on the right of the road leading to the city. Five hundred 
yards in its front was the Little Ogechee, whose north-east 
bank was fortified, and held by the enemy : between its line 
and the river was the Grave Yard Battery. The bridge over 
the Ogechee was destroyed, and the waters of the stream, 
much swollen. The brigade was to cross on rafts, planks, and 
poles, placed by a storming party. It was a hazardous under- 
taking ; but, had not General Hardee fled, it would doubtless 
have been successfully accomplished. 

The 4th Iowa Infantry has met the enemy in eight difffer- 
ent rebel States — Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, 
Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, and 
has never been repulsed ; only once has it been compelled to 
yield the ground it had wrested from the enemy. 

In closing an ofiicial statement of the services of his regiment 
called for by the Adjutant-General of Iowa, General William- 
son says: It "stayed at Nashville a few days to get an outfit, 
and then started on the campaign against Atlanta, and has 
only halted in line of battle since, until its arrival at this place, 
on the 7th instant. This is not a regiment which has ordina- 
rily been at 'posts.' I can hardly realize the meaning of the 
term. "VVe have stopped a few weeks to rest after a campaign, 
but never had charge of any post since the regiment was really 
equipped for the field at Rolla, in the fall of 1861. 

"Our records, reports, and returns are made from the place 
where we happened to be when they fell due, and one camp 
has been almost as much a 'post' with us as another." 

Subsequently to the spring of 1863, General Williamson has 
been in command of the brigade to which his regiment has 



JAMES A. WILLIAMSON. 123 

been attached; and during all this time has enjoyed, in an 
uncommon degree, the confidence of his superior officers. In 
proof of this I give the following instance : While Governor 
Stone was on a visit to the army before Atlanta, in the summer 
of 1864, he met General Sherman at his head-quarters. In the 
course of conversation, the names of different Iowa officers 
were introduced, when Governor Stone enquired: "Where, 
general, is Colonel Williamson?" "With his command and 
doing his duty, as he always is," was the reply; and only 
those who know General Sherman can appreciate the worth of 
this compliment. 

General Williamson was not promoted to his present rank 
until the winter of 1861-5. Why suoh merit was so long unre- 
warded, has been a question much canvassed, and has produced 
not a little indignation, both in and out of the army. I give 
the following on the authority of a distinguished citizen of 
General Williamson's city: — On one occasion, the family of 
General Williamson being sick, that officer, knowing the long 
delay that would follow in obtaining a leave of absence through 
the regular channel, applied directly to the War Department. 
He obtained his leave and left for his home, after presenting 
his papers at corps head-quarters. The corps commander, who 
was, and still is jealous of his authority, was indignant ; and 
from that time until the fall of 1861, although conceding the 
merit and claims of the general, declined to urge his promo- 
tion. 

General Williamson is of medium hight, and has a fine, 
symmetrical form. His full, gray eyes, which in his ordinary 
moods have a sort of absent and care-worn expression, tingle 
with intelligence and animation as soon as he becomes inter- 
ested in conversation. In manners he is modest and reserved. 
He never begs favors. In New England he would be appreci- 
ated ; but, for a Western man, he lacks impudence. 



124 IOWA COLONELS AND KEGIMENTS. 

The editor of the Cass County "Gazette," an intimate 
acquaintance of the general, speaks thus of him : 

" Colonel Williamson is a refined, chivalrous gentleman, 
whom one must know to appreciate. To those who win his 
confidence, he is lavishly sociable ; but, for those who treat him 
coolly, he has no smile or word of gladness. He rarely alters 
a deliberate opinion, and we know of but one exception ; once 
of the best Democratic blood of the North, he is now a warm 
friend of Lincoln. He is a brave man. In battle his fine form 
moves near the van. He rides slowly, speaks with much calm- 
ness, and never becomes excited in action. "Williamson is still 
a young man ; but he is to-day a favorite of the people — espec- 
ially in Middle and Western Iowa." 



COLONEL WILLIAM HORD WORTHINGTON. 

FIRST COLONEL, FIFTH INFANTRY. 

William H. Worthington, who was shot dead before 
Corinth, in the spring of 1862, by a frightened sentinel, was 
linked by blood to the earliest and most distinguished families 
of the country — on the paternal side to the Virginia line of 
Madisons, and to General Andrew Lewis, the Virginia soldier, 
who was recommended by General Washington as "Com- 
mander-in-chief of the American Army:" on the maternal 
side, to the Slaughters, also a distinguished Virginia family. 
His grand-father. Colonel Gabriel Slaughter, who emigrated to 
Kentucky in its earliest history, was twice elected lieutenant- 
governor of that State — first with Governor Scott, and last 
with Governor George Madison — and each time succeeded to 
the administration of the government, as survivor of the 
governor elect. He was also the colonel of a Kentucky regi- 
ment which fought with General Jackson at the battle of New 
Orleans. His faithfulness and ability as an executive officer, 
and his gallantry at the battle of New Orleans, have been 
commemorated by his adopted State, in the erection of a fine 
monument to his memory. 

Colonel Worthington's grand-father, Edward Worthington, 
a Marylander, was also an early and distinguished settler in 
Kentucky. His father, the Rev. John Tolly Worthington, 
D. D., a devoted Christian and zealous patriot, is still living, 
and a resident of Pittsfield, Illinois. William H. Worthington 
was born at Harrodsburg, Kentucky, on the 2d day of Novem- 
ber, 1828. He lost his mother in early infancy, and was 

adopted, reared and educated by his maternal grand-uncle, 

125 



126 IOWA COLONELS AND BEGIMENTS. 

Major William Hord, also a distinguished Kentucky gentle- 
man. I am thus particular in giving the colonel's lineage, for 
his military enthusiasm was of ancestral inheritance. 

His primary education Colonel Worthington received in the 
schools of Louisville, at that time the residence of Major Hord; 
and it was there, while under the instruction of a Polish officer, 
that he first gave token of that military spirit which, in despite 
of his untimely fate, has made his name celebrated in the 
history of our State. Having graduated at Bacon College, 
Harrodsburg, Kentucky, he was, at the age of nineteen, mar- 
ried to Miss Anna Eliza, daughter of Dr. Tomlinson, a lady of 
reputed beauty and intelligence ; and now, throwing aside his 
books, he began life on a farm. This calling soon proved 
uncongenial to his tastes, and he abandoned it for the law. 
After being admitted to the bar, he opened an office in his 
native town; and, though his i^rofessional studies had been 
chiefly of his own shaping, he soon gave promise of future 
eminence. In 1857 he moved to Iowa, where, establishing 
himself in a lucrative practice, he made his home till the 
beginning of the war. 

When the war broke out he was serving as the captain of 
the "City Rifles," a military company in the city of Keokuk ; 
and it was the aptness which he discovered in military matters 
while in this position, that first brought his name into favora- 
ble notice with Governor Kirkwood. 

While in Washington City, seeking a position in the regular 
army, (which he only failed in obtaining on account of all 
vacancies being filled) he was tendered the colonelcy of an 
Iowa volunteer regiment. This he accepted; and, returning 
to Iowa early in July, received his commission as colonel of 
the 5th Iowa Infantry, on the 15th of the same month. 

The 5th Iowa Infantry entered the service under peculiar 
and promising omens : its colonel was a descendant of our most 



"WILLIAM H. WORTHINGTON. 127 

illustrious revolutionary heroes, and its drummer-boy, Robert 
Bain, beat the same drum with which his father, in 1812, and 
his grand-father, in 1776, had stirred the hearts of the Revolu- 
tionists. For aught I know, this same drum- beat defiance to 
Sir George Packenham, on the battle-field of New Orleans. 

The history of the 5th Iowa is a proud one. From the time 
it took the field in August, 1861, till it was consolidated with 
the 5th Iowa Cavalry, three years later, no blot or stain dis- 
figures its fair record. I have stated elsewhere that the 
regiment first served in Missouri. Leaving Jefferson Barracks 
the 14th of August, it proceeded to Jefierson City, where it 
remained till the first of September, From Jefierson City it 
marched to Columbia; from Columbia to Boonville; from 
Boonville to Glasgow; from Glasgow to Springfield; from 
Springfield to Syracuse ; from Syracuse back to Boonville, and 
thence to Cairo, Illinois, where it arrived on the 20th of Febru- 
ary, 1862. Thus far, the regiment had failed to meet the enemy 
in a general engagement. 

When the 5th Iowa, under Colonel Worthington, arrived at 
Cairo, it was one of the best drilled and disciplined regiments 
in the volunteer service. This, at first, was secured at the 
expense of the colonel's popularity. Indeed, in the early his- 
tory of the war, the people of the North were so largely 
imbued with their peculiar ideas of Democracy, (doing as they 
pleased) that it was hard for them to learn the duties and sub- 
mit to the requirements of soldiers; and this, with the 5th 
Iowa as well as with other Iowa regiments, was the cause of 
much discontent. The men were, at first, restive under 
Colonel Worthington's strict discipline. But the semi-oflacial 
order of General Pope, of October, 1861, announcing : " Colonel : 
your regiment is the most soldierly-appearing one I have seen 
in Missouri," secured, in the future, an unquestioning compli- 
ance with his orders ; for the men were proud of their good 



128 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

name, and knew to whom belonged the credit. This, too, in 
connection with the fact of his having periled his own life in 
rescuing a private of his command from drowning in the Mis- 
souri E.iver, secured him, from that day to the day of his 
death, the respect and esteem of his regiment. 

After a three days' rest at Cairo, Colonel Worthington crossed 
the Mississippi with his regiment, and marched out to Benton, 
Missouri. From that point, he accompanied General Pope to 
New Madrid, where, during the ten days' siege, he was con- 
spicuous. In the meantime, he had assumed command of a 
brigade, and with that was assigned the important task of 
assaulting and capturing the ' Upper Fort, ' which, I may add, 
would have been successfully accomplished, had not the ruse 
de guerre of General Stanley been divined by the enemy. This 
was on the morning of the 7th of March, 1862, and, on the 
morning of the 13th, the place was evacuated. But the gallan- 
try of companies A and B, of the 5th Iowa, and three compa- 
nies of the 39th Indiana, (these regiments were of Colonel 
Worthington's command) I should not omit to mention. On 
the afternoon of the 4th of March, these troops, under com- 
mand of Major Robertson of the 5th Iowa, made the first 
demonstration against New Madrid. After engaging the ene- 
my's pickets, and driving them through the large corn-field 
that lay to the north of the town, they suddenly found them- 
selves confronted by a force which, in numbers, was not only 
treble their own, but which was supported by artillery. Here, 
however, they maintained their position, in the face of a gall- 
ing fire, for upwards of two hours ; nor did they retire till 
ordered to do so by Colonel, now General Granger. 

During the operations around Island No. 10, which was sur- 
rendered to General Pope on the 7th of the following April, 
Colonel Worthington v/as again conspicuous ; and the troops of 
his command were, by order of General Pope, iDcrmitted to 



WILLIAM H. WORTHINGTON. 129 

inscribe on their flags, "Island No. 10." He now sailed to 
Hamburg Landing, on the Tennessee, where, with the com- 
mand of General Pope, he took up his position before Corinth, 
on the left of our army. But his gallant career was soon to 
close: he was shot by a heecUess and frightened sentinel, on the 
morning of the 22d of May ; and the story, a brief one, is thus 

sadly told : 

"General Orders No. 53. 

"Head-quarters Army op the Mississippi, 
Near Fabmington, May 22d, 1862. 

" The general commanding announces to the army with deep 
regret the death of Colonel W. H. Worthington, Fifth Iowa 
Volunteers. He was killed by an unfortunate accident this 
morning, at two o'clock, while in discharge of his duties as 
general officer of the day. * * * * 

"Speed Butler, 
Assistant Adjutant General. ^^ 
" By order of General Pope." 

The report of the gun was heard by Captain Wever and 
myself, who, at the time, were on picket-duty, on the extreme 
left. It came to us across an open field to our right and rear, 
and from the edge of the timber, which was some quarter of a 
mile away. On our return to camp in the morning, we 
learned the sad story. The night was dark, and the sentinel, 
having left his post, was walking carelessly to the rear, when 
the officer of the day approached. Forgetting that he was 
unthin the line, and alarmed at what he supposed the approach 
of the enemy, he fired, without even challenging the 
approaching party. The ball took effect near the left eye, and 
the colonel, falling from his horse, died almost instantly. 

Of the many gallant Iowa officers who have fallen in the 
service of their country, few were more deeply and sincerely 
mourned than Colonel Worthington. Many were the tributes 
that were offered to his memory. The army in which he 
served, his regiment, the District Court of his county, his old 



130 IOWA COLOXELS AND REGIMENTS. 

company, the "City Rifles,"— all spolve his praise and joined 
in one common wail : all, as was expressed by Judge Francis 
Springer, "mourned the loss, and cherished the memory of the 
noble-hearted, brave and heroic Worthington.". 

At the time of his death, the future of no officer in our army 
was more promising than his. He loved the service, and was 
a model soldier. Already he had been recommended for 
promotion ; and, had he survived the siege of Corinth, he 
would have been made a brigadier-general. I do not speak 
without authority. "In Colonel Worthington" (I quote from 
the above order of General Pope) "this army has sustained a 
serious loss. Prompt, gallant and patriotic, a brilliant career 
in the military profession was before him. " 

I remember well the first time I saw him. We had just 
arrived at the front, and he had called on Colonel Rankin to 
enquire and talk of friends at home. His manly form, and 
frank, open countenance imj^ressed me ; and, though I did not 
then know his name, I knew he was no ordinary man. 

Colonel W^orthington was a Southern man, with a Southern 
education and Southern prejudices; and, during the Presiden- 
tial canvass of 18G0, advocated the cause of Bell and Everett. 
Even at the outbreak of the war, he was a conservative. But 
he was also loyal; and no sooner was Abraham Lincoln 
declared elected, than he recognized and respected him as the 
legal Executive of the Nation. Indeed, when it was rumored 
that the rebels were tlireatening the Capital, he declared to his 
father: "If they enter Washington they shall march over my 
dead body!" Before leaving Missouri, lie wrote to his fatlier: 
"You know my conservative views heretofore; I am now a 
radical; and so lie died. To his wife he wrote: "If I fall, 
teach my son to do likewise, if his country needs li is life. " 
His love for his country he sealed with his blood, and died a 
true patriot. 



BRIGADIER-GENERAL C. L. MATTHIES. 

SECOND COLOiSTEL, FIFTH INFANTRY. 

Charles Leopold Matthies was the first man in the 
State of Iowa, and in the United States, to tender a military 
company to the Government, to aid in crushing the rebellion. 
The tender was made by letter through Governor Kirkwood, 
on the dth day of January, 1861. The general can not be proud- 
er of the distinction which this act has secured him, than is the 
State of Iowa. 

General Matthies is a Prussian by birth, and was born in 
Bromberg, on the 31st day of May, 1824. When sixteen years 
of age, his father, an affluent farmer, sent him to the Univer- 
sity at Halle, where he received a thorough military education. 
On leaving that University, he returned home ; and, from that 
time till he reached his twentieth year, he labored on his 
father's farm. At the age of twenty, he entered the Prussian 
army ; and, in 1847, served in the campaign against the Insur- 
rectionists, (the Poles) under General Miroslawski. In 1848, 
he resigned the commission which he had won by his good 
conduct, and a few months later emigrated to America, arriv- 
ing in New York in the spring of 1849. In the latter part of 
the same year, he came to Iowa, and settled in Burlington, 
where, engaging in mercantile pursuits, he has made his home 
ever since. 

General Matthies entered the volunteer service, as captain of 
Company D, 1st Iowa Infantry — that noble regiment which, 
by its heroism at Wilson's Creek, established the military 
prowess of the State. He was not present in that engagement; 
for, in the latter part of July, he received notice of his 

131 



132 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

promotion to the lieutenant-colonelcy of the 5th Iowa, and at 
once left to report to that regiment. After the death of Colonel 
"Worthing-ton, he was promoted to the colonelcy. He shared 
with his regiment the fatigues and hardships of the Missouri 
campaigns ; was with it at Island No. 10, and during the siege 
of Corinth ; and yet, prior to the battle of luka, his name was 
hardly known outside of his own brigade. It was his courage 
and gallantry in that sanguinary battle that made him distin- 
guished in his army corps, and earned for him the commission 
of a brigadier-general. 

After the evacuation of Corinth, the 5th Iowa, under Colonel 
Matthies, joined in the pursuit of Beauregard to Boonville, 
and returned thence to Clear Springs, near Corinth. Late in 
June, it marched to Ripley with its division ; returned imme- 
diately to Rienzi, and, on the 10th of July, marched back to 
Clear Springs. From Clear Springs it changed camp to Jacinto, 
and, from that point, marched against Price at luka, in the 
evening of the 18th of September, 1862. With the exception 
of the last, the regiment met the enemy in none of these 
movements. 

General Rosecrans, by incautiously pushing his advance too 
far, precipitated the battle of luka on the afternoon of the 19th 
of September, when, in accordance with pre-arranged plans, it 
should have been fought on the morning of the 20th. General 
Grant first arranged to fight the battle as early as the morning 
of the 19th instant; and, with that understanding, the forces of 
Ord moved out from Corinth in the afternoon of the 17th, and 
the evening of the next day came up with, and drove in the 
enemy's pickets. But at that hour the chief part of Rosecrans' 
- command was still at Jacinto, and the time for making the 
attack was changed. General Price, divining Grant's plan of 
concentration, hurried out from luka in the afternoon of the 
19th, and threw his entire army against Rosecrans, hoping to 



CHARLES L. MATTHIES. 133 

overwhelm him before Ord could come up; aud thus it hap- 
pened that Rosecrans fought alone the heedless battle of luka. 
There is another version of this affair, which, judging by the 
authority from which I receive it, is doubtless the correct one : 
that Rosecrans, ambitious, and desirous of superseding General 
Grant, moved up against Price for the express purpose of 
bringing on a battle and winning glory, well knowing at the 
time that he was disobeying orders. Any other general, 
except the magnanimous Grant, would have at once relieved 
him and put him in arrest. 

The 5th Iowa under Matthies, together with the 10th, IGth 
and 17th Iowa, the 10th Missouri and 80th Ohio, were among 
the troops in the van of Rosecrans' forces, and were the first to 
encounter the enemy. The struggle which ensued was pro- 
tracted and desperate in the extreme ; indeed, for courage and 
endurance it has few parallels. No pen can do more than 
credit to the 5th Iowa Infantry for its heroism in this terrible 
engagement. During the fore part of the day, while en route 
from Jacinto to luka, this regiment led the advance of the 3d 
Division, and, for more than six miles, continued to drive back 
the enemy, who, in small force, made repeated stands. When 
the enemy were finally met in force some three miles south- 
west of luka, the 5th Iowa was one of the first regiments in 
line of battle ; and, from that time until it fired its last cart- 
ridge, it maintained its position. Its list of casualties is proof 
of its gallantry. It lost in killed, wounded and missing, from 
an aggregate of four hundred and eighty-two that went into the 
fight, hvo hundred and seventeen men. Fifteen commissioned 
officers were killed and wounded; and, of the enlisted men, 
thirty-four were kiUed, and one hundred and sixty-eight 
wounded. Lieutenants Lafayette Shawl and E. M. Holcomb 
were killed, and Captains John Albaugh and Joel BrowTi, and 
Lieutenants R. F. Patterson, J. W. Casad, A. L. Mateer, A. 



134 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

Ellis, J. E. Page, Benjamin Jarvis, A. B. Lewis, S. S. Sample, 
J. E. Pangborn, W. C. Huber and W. H. Colton were wounded. 
Lieutenant Mateer died of his wounds soon after the battle. 
Among those mentioned for special gallantry were Lieutenant- 
Colonel Sampson, and Lieutenant and Acting-Major Patterson, 
and Lieutenant Marshall. Nearly all were equally deserving 
of mention. 

The 5th was General S. Hamilton's pet regiment; and, after 
the battle, Colonel Matthies enclosed to him his official report, 
to which he received the following reply : 

"New York, October 27th, 1862. 
" Colonel C. L. Matthies, Uh Iowa Infantry: 

'''■My Dear Colonel: In sending to me the report of the 
brilliant conduct of the 5th Iowa at luka, September 19th, 
1862, you have given me a very great pleasure, as well as 
paid me a great compliment. When I read the newspaper 
accounts of battles in the vicinity of Corinth, though still sick, 
my heart thrilled with pride and satisfaction at the splendid 
conduct of the regiments composing my old division, espe- 
cially that of the 5th Iowa and 26th Missouri. 

" To show you how well understood it is, the 5th Iowa has 
become a household word with us, and my youngest boy, a 
prattler of four years of age, when asked what company he 
belongs to, says, (and he breakfasts in his knapsack) ' Com- 
pany A, Fifth Iowa — papa's pet regiment.' 

" I am under orders from Washington, and though I may 
not again have the honor to number the 5th Iowa among 
those under my command, I shall always point to its conduct, 
as an evidence of the character of the troops from that State, 
and how kindly they respond to, and confer honor upon those 
who have diligently endeavored to look after their welfare, 
discipline, and instruction, which I honestly think I may 
claim a share in having done. Feeling, Colonel, that their 
honor is my honor, I shall watch their future career with the 
same interest I watched over them when a part of my 
command. Write my compliments and kind remembrances 
to all. Believe me, very truly your friend, 

"SCHUYLER HAMILTON, 
^^Major-General Volunteers, U. S. J.." 



CHAELES L. MATTHIES. 135 

The 5th Iowa Inftintry next engaged the enemy at Corinth- 
October 3cl and 4th, 1862 ; and, from that date until the 24th of 
April, 18G3, the time of Colonel Matthies' promotion to 
brigadier-general, its history is the same as that of the 10th 
and, I might add, that of the 17th Iowa ; for these three 
regiments served in the same division. 

After receiving, in April, 1863, a brigadier's commission, 
General Matthies was ordered to report to General McPherson, 
who assigned him to the command of the 7th Division, 17th 
Army Corps ; but this order being soon after recalled, he was 
given command of the 3d Brigade, 3d Division, 15th Army 
Corps, which he commanded, under General Sherman, from 
Grand Gulf to Jackson and thence to the rear of Vicksburg. 
He continued in command of this brigade until the death of 
Colonel Boomer, of the 26th Missouri, when he was sent back 
to his old army corps, and given command of the 3d Brigade, 
of the 7th Division. On leaving the command of General 
Sherman, that ofllcer honored him with an autograph letter, 
in which he complimented him highly for his efficient 
services. His new command was composed of the following 
troops: the 5th and 10th Iowa, the 26th Missouri and 93d 
Illinois— four as gallant regiments as ever met the enemy in 
battle. In the latter part of January, 1864, he was given 
command of a temporary division, made up of different 
regiments of the 15th Army Corps, with which he marched to 
East Tennessee, to aid in driving back Longstreet, who was 
then threatening Knoxville. Returning from this expedition, 
he was assigned to an important command, with head-quarters 
at Decatur, Alabama. He had charge of the Nashville and 
Decatur Railroad as far north as Linnville, and of the 
Memphis and Charleston Railroad as fiir east as Huntsville. 
He removed his head-quarters to Decatur, on the 1st of IMay, 
1864, and at once began fortifying that place. The works 



136 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

which he erected were of the most imposhig character ; — so 
formidable tliat General Hood, in his flanking tour north, did 
not essay their capture. In the latter part of May, 18G4, the 
general tendered his resignation, which was reluctantly 
accepted. 

I should not close this sketch without stating briefly the 
distinguished part General Matthies sustained in the operations 
around Chattanooga, in November, 18G3. General Bragg was 
defeated in the evening of the 24th, and his only hope, on the 
morning of the 25th, was to save his baggage, stores and 
artillery. The point on Mission Ridge that commanded the 
road over which these must pass was on Grant's extreme left, 
and, during the entire day of the 25th, the divisions of Ewing, 
John E. Smith, Morgan L. Smith and Jeff'erson C. Davis had 
sharp and sanguinary fighting for its possession; but it had 
been so strongly fortified, and Bragg had massed his troops 
there to such an extent that, all efforts on the part of General 
Sherman were fruitless. There was no harder fighting done 
on any portion of Mission Ridge or Lookout Mountain, than 
was done on this point ; and acts of individual gallantry, on 
the part of the Union troops, were numerous. Colonel Holden 
Putnam of the 93d Illinois, although not an Iowa man, deserves 
special mention ; and nothing can give the Iowa troops, who 
fought with him on Mission Ridge and at Champion's Hill, 
more pleasure than to meet his name on these pages. His 
was the first regiment of General Matthies' Brigade to scale 
the hill from the White House and assault the enemy in their 
strong works. His command was instantly repulsed; but, 
undaunted, he rallied his men, and, seizing the colors, dashed 
on to the top of the hill in spite of all remonstrances. He was 
shot dead instantly, through the head. The 26th Missouri soon 
followed the 93d Illinois, and then the 5th and 10th Iowa, with 
General Matthies in person ; and still the enemy, rejoicing in 



CHAHLES L. MATTHIES. 137 

the strength of their numbers and position, maintained their 
ground. The 2d Brigade of the same division now came up ; 
but in a few moments after the enemy, emerging in strong 
force from the railroad tunnel near by, and with their move- 
ments concealed by dense brush, suddenly made their appear- 
ance in rear of the right flank, when a retreat was ordered. 
The command was, " For God's sake, get out of this ! " It was 
on that hill-top that General Matthies was wounded ; and it 
was that wound, together with the exposures and hardships of 
the previous campaign, that broke down his health, in conse- 
quence of which he tendered his resignation. He was an 
excellent officer, and had a reputation for promptness and 
trustworthiness that but few enjoyed in his division. 

General Matthies is a little above the medium in size, with a 
full breast and heavy shoulders. He has mild, gray eyes, and 
a round, full, good-natured face. To look at him, you would 
not take him for a foreigner; but he no sooner speaks than he 
betrays his nativity. He has never been able to master the 
accent of our language. He is one of those men whom to know 
is to like. His sanguine temperament, and earnest, open- 
hearted disposition enables him, in his happy moods, to talk 
and laugh with extreme good nature, and, in his less happy 
ones, to hate and berate his enemies most intensely. He was 
always on kind and familiar terms with every solcUer of his 
command, and his familiarity in no way interfered with his 
discipline. The soldiers loved "old Dutchie," he was so good 
and brave. 

I can not take leave of General Matthies without relating the 
following: When the division of John E. Smith was in camp 
back of Memphis, late in February, 1863, the general chanced 
one day to be general officer of the clay. At about seven o'clock 
in the morning of the day in question, a captain, whose 2d 
lieutenant had deserted to the enemy the night before, and 



138 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

whose 1st lieutenant was enjoying himself in the city, arrived 
on the picket-line to relieve the old picket-guard. The captain 
left his reserve in charge of a sergeant, while he went to dis- 
tribute the first relief at the different posts, and give proper 
instructions. In his absence, the officer of the day made his 
appearance. Having at some point stole his way through the 
lines, he came riding down the road at full speed, and was on 
the reserve before the sergeant could get his men in line to 
receive him. The general, who was dressed in a common 
soldier's overcoat, and without any scarf or other insignia of 
his office, began administering a rebuke for negligence; but 
was quickly cut short by the sergeant, who replied, "How did 
I know who you was ? you haven't got any scarf on ; I thought 
it was a soldier just coming in from foraging." "Well, well," 
said the general, "I know; but— you must be on the watch 
for guerrillas." 



COLONEL JABEZ BANBURY. 

THIRD COLONEL, FIFTH INFANTRY. 

Jabez Banbury is a native of England, and was born in 
the year 1831 ; but, removing to this country when quite young, 
he became, long since, thoroughly Americanized. He is a 
man of limited education, and by trade a mechanic. 

At the time of entering the service, he had some experience 
in military matters ; for he had been a member of an independ- 
ent military company in Marshalltown. At that time I am 
informed, he gave proof of military taste and talent. He 
enlisted in the United States volunteer service in June, 1861, 
and assisted in raising a company for the war, which was 
afterwards assigned to the 5th Iowa Infantry, and designated 
Company D. Of this company, he was elected 1st lieutenant, 
and, with this rank, entered the field. He was j)romoted to 
the captaincy of his company in February, 1862 ; was made 
major of his regiment, on the 14th of the following July, and, 
on the promotion of Colonel Matthies to brigadier-general, was 
commissioned colonel. At the time his regiment was trans- 
ferred to the 5th Iowa Cavalry in August, 1861, he was 
mustered out of the service, and returned to his home in 
Marshalltown. 

General Matthies left his regiment at Milliken's Bend, 

Louisiana, just before it started on its march to the rear of 

Vicksburg. From that time till the fall of that city, the 5th 

Iowa was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel E. S. Sampson. 

From the fall of Vicksburg, up to the time Colonel Banbury 

was mustered out of the service, the regiment was under his 

command, if we except a few months when he was in 

139 



140 IOWA COLiONEIiS AND REGIMENTS. 

command of a brigade. The 5th Iowa is proud of its record, 
and it may also be proud of its commanding otficers ; for they 
were all most excellent men. 

The march to the Yockona, and thence back to Memphis ; the 
trip down the Mississippi to Grand Lake, and thence back to 
Helena; and the wild expedition down the Yazoo Pass, all 
belong to the history of the 5th Iowa Infantry. An account of 
these I have given in the sketches of other officers and regi- 
ments, as I also have of the march from Milliken's Bend round 
to the rear of Vicksburg. Of the battles fought during the last 
named march, the 5th Iowa was engaged in two — Jackson and 
Champion's Hill. The regiment also engaged the enemy in 
two skirmishes — the first on the hills north of Bayou Pierre, 
and the second in the rugged country north of Big Black 
Kiver. In the last, the regiment constituted a portion of the 
force under Colonel Boomer of the 26th Missouri, who was sent 
out on a reconnoissance some five miles in the direction of 
Vicksburg. The 5th Iowa led the advance of its corps from 
Raymond to Clinton, and marched with its division, which led 
the advance, from Clinton to Jackson. In the battle of Jack- 
son, the regiment did not suffer severely. Its position was to 
the left of the 17th Iowa, and so far to the north that it over- 
lapped the right of the enemy's line. Its loss was four men 
wounded. 

The part which the 5th Iowa took in the battle of Cham- 
pion's Hill, or Baker's Creek, was most brilliant and sanguin- 
ary. This battle, which came off on the 16th of May, 1863, 
"was fought mainly by Hovey's Division of McClernand's 
Corps, and Logan's and Quimby's Divisions (the latter com- 
manded by Brigadier-General M. M. Crocker) of McPherson's 
Corps;" and in it the Iowa troops were consequently largely 
represented. On the evening of the 15th instant, General 
Grant made his head-quarters at Clinton. Early on the fol- 



JABEZ BANBURY. 141 

lowing morning, two employees on the Jackson and Vicksburg 
Railroad were brought to him, who represented that, on the 
previous night, they had passed through General Pemberton's 
army. They also represented that Pemberton had marched 
out from Vicksburg with a force consisting of about eighty 
regiments, with ten batteries of artillery, the entire command 
numbering about twenty-five thousand men. The object of 
Pemberton was, to come up with and attack General Grant in 
rear, before he should be able to overcome General Johnson at 
Jackson ; and it had been before reported by prisoners that, on 
General Johnson's arrival at Jackson in the evening of the 
13th instant, he had sent peremptory orders to Pemberton to 
make this movement. The evidence was conclusive to General 
Grant that a great battle was near at hand ; and he therefore 
ordered a rapid concentration of his troops, even sending back 
to Jackson for General Sherman's Corps, which had been left 
behind to destroy the railroads and rebel government property. 
This done, he mounted his horse and rode rapidly to the front. 
In the march from Jackson back in the direction of Vicksburg, 
the divisions of Logan and Crocker (excepting the 2d brigade) 
reached a point some five miles west of Clinton ; and were, 
therefore, only about seven miles east of Champion's Hill, 
and not far distant from General Hovey, who, with his divi- 
sion, was in the extreme advance. The next morning, the 
16th of May, the troops of Hovey's Division left their camp 
at Bolton's Station, and moved in the direction of Champion's 
Hill, three and a half miles distant. These troops were the 
first to meet the enemy. The engagement was just opening as 
the 5th Iowa, with its brigade, came up. 

"The enemy had taken up a very strong position on a nar- 
row ridge, his left resting on the hight where the road makes a 
sharp turn to the left approaching Vicksburg. The top of the 
ridge, and the precipitous hill-side to the left of the road, are 



142 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

covered by a dense forest and under-growth. To the right of 
the road, the timber extends a short distance down the hill, 
and then opens into cultivated fields on a gentle slope, and 
into a valley, extending for a considerable distance. On the 
road and into the wooded ravine and hill-side, Hovey's Divi- 
sion was disposed for the attack." 

But Logan and Crocker fought on the right of the road, hav- 
ing come into line in the above named open fields. Logan's 
Division held the extreme right, and next to his was Crock- 
er's; and now the fighting opened in earnest. The rebel, as 
compared with the Federal force, was more than two to one; 
for Pemberton had not less than twenty-eight thousand men ; 
whereas the divisions of Hovey, Crocker and Logan would not 
number thirteen thousand. Confident of success with his 
superior numbers, the enemy massed heavily on the right of 
Hovey's Division, whi(th was near the road, and forced it back. 
His left they also flanked, and soon after forced back his whole 
line. The 3rd Brigade, to which the 5th Iowa was attached, 
held the left of Crocker's Division, and, seeing Hovey's right 
driven in, and their own left flank threatened, they faced to the 
left, and double-quicked down to the road to meet the enemy 
and check their further advance. The 93d Illinois was the 
extreme left regiment of the brigade, and, next to that, was 
the 5th Iowa : a portion of the 93d crossed the road, so that the 
5th was but a few paces distant from it. And right here the 
fighting was most obstinate and sanguinary. The trees, living, 
though insensible witnesses to this terrible contest, stand 
there still, bearing on their shattered branches and lacerated 
trunks, thrilling evidence of these hours of bloody strife. 
From one tree near the road-side, more than five hundred 
bullets were afterward extracted; and it was not three feet 
through. 

In that immediate vicinity, the 5th Iowa with its brigade, 
maintained its position in the unequal conflict for more than 



JABEZ BANBURY. 143 

an hour and a half, and, during the last half hour, it had no 
ammunition, or only such as could be taken from the cartridge- 
boxes of the dead and wounded. In the meantime, the enemy 
at this point had been reinforced, and were being led on with 
the promise of certain victory. To withstand longer such 
odds and desperation was impossible, and the gallant 3d 
Brigade began to break, retiring over the hill in its rear, and 
back into the open fields. McClernand, with the balance of 
his corps, was momentarily expected, and was now looked for 
with the greatest anxiety ; but relief came from another and 
unexpected quarter. Just then two regiments of the 2d Brig- 
ade, which had been left the night before at Clinton, as a sort 
of body-guard to General Grant, came in view, down the road, 
at double-quick. The 17th Iowa was in the advance, and was 
closely followed by the 10th Missouri ; and both regiments did 
not number more than five hundred and fifty men. In the 
instant that these troops were seen by Colonel Putnam of the 
93d Illinois, he came riding back at full run, without his hat, 
and his brown, wavy hair streaming in the wind, shouting to 
Colonel Hillis, of the 17th: "For God's sake. Colonel, hurry 
up— we can not stand another minute;" and the fields to the 
right, which were filled with the affrighted and fleeing strag- 
glers, were proof of what he said. With the handful of 
reinforcements thus brought up, the scale of battle was turned ; 
and, before McClernand had arrived, the enemy were hasten- 
ing in total rout back in the direction of Vicksburg. 

To show the determination and valor with which the 5th 
Iowa and its brigade fought, I will give one instance, which 
came under my own observation. On arriving at the top of 
the hill from which our lines had been driven, I noticed a 
noble young boy lying near the road. He was shot through 
both legs, and was unable to stand ; but he had his musket in 
his hands, and was loading and firing on the advancing enemy. 



144 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

We were now under a galling fire, and I saw no more of the 
brave boy till the enemy were driven from the field. On 
returning afterward to look for the dead and wounded of my 
company, I saw him lying in the same spot, but he was dead. 
I do not know his name or his regiment ; but he must have 
belonged to the 5th Iowa, or the 93d Illinois. 

The 5th Iowa, in this engagement, lost nineteen killed and 
seventy-five wounded, out of an aggregate of three hundred 
and fifty officers and men. There were many individual 
instances of gallantry ; but I am able to mention only the 
names of Captains Tait, Lee and Pickerell. 

The same night of the battle, the 5th Iowa marched two 
miles in the direction of Vicksburg; and the next night 
camped on the Big Black. On the 19th instant, the regiment 
with its brigade arrived in rear of Vicksburg ; and, from that 
time until the fall of the city, its history is the same as that of 
the 10th Iowa, and the other regiments of its brigade. I might 
add that, from the fall of Vicksburg up to the winter of 1864, its 
history is the same as that of its brigade. Early in September, 
1863, the 5th Iowa left with its division for the purpose of join- 
ing the army of General Steele in Arkansas ; but, on arriving 
at Helena, learned that no reinforcements were needed in that 
quarter. From Helena it moved up the river to Memphis, and 
from that point marched across the country with General Sher- 
man to Chattanooga, where with its brigade it took a distin- 
guished part in the engagement of the 25th of November. On 
the night of the 24th instant, the regiment stood picket near 
the Chattanooga and Knoxville Railroad, just where it passes 
the north point of Mission Ridge ; and the next day, at noon, 
joined its brigade and moved out through the open fields as 
elsewhere described, to engage the enemy. After arriving at 
the White House, which was near the base of the hill for 
which General Sherman was fighting, the chief portion of the 



JABEZ BANBURY. 145 

regiment was deployed as skirmishers to the right and front of 
its brigade, and remained thus deployed till a retreat was 
ordered. The total loss of the 5th Iowa in this engagement 
was one hundred and six; but the greater portion of these 
were captured in the sudden left flank movement of the enemy. 
Two commissioned oflBcers were wounded, and eight captured ; 
among the latter were Major Marshall and Adjutant Byers. 

Subsequently to Grant's victory at Chattanooga, there is little 
in the history of the 5th Iowa Infantry of striking interest. 
It joined its division in the pursuit of Bragg, as far as 
Graysville, Georgia, and then returned to Chattanooga. After 
going into several temporary camps along the road, it finally 
reached Huntsville, Alabama, where it passed the following 
Winter. In April, it came North on veteran furlough; 
returned to the field early in May ; served for a short time on 
the Huntsville and Decatur Railroad, and was then ordered to 
Kingston, Georgia. On the 8th of August, 1864, the veterans 
of the regiment, by special order of the War Department, No. 
262, were transferred to the 5th Iowa Cavalry, and assigned as 
Comimnies G and I, under the following officers: Captain 
Albert G. Ellis, 1st Lieutenant Jeremiah M. Lembocker, and 
Second Lieutenant William S. Peck, of Company G; Captain 
William G. M'Elrae, 1st Lieutenant Robert A. McKee, and 
2d Lieutenant John Q. A. Campbell, of Company I. 

At Mission Ridge Colonel Banbury showed great courage, 
riding constantly under the heavy artillery- and musketry- 
fire of the enemy. The same night of the engagement, he was 
assigned to the command of his brigade; for General Matthies, 
the brigade commander, had been wounded as I have already 
stated. There is one other item in the colonel's military 
history, which I should not omit to mention. At the battle of 
Corinth, October 3d and 4th, 1862, he commanded the 17th 
Iowa Infantry; and led it in the charge in which the 



146 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

regiment captured the colors of the 40th Mississippi, and 
between one and two hundi'ed prisoners. 

Although I served in the same division with Colonel 
Banbury for many months, I never saw him to know him ; 
but I am told by good authority that "he is reticent in 
manners, intelligent though not educated, honest, upright, 
and thoroughly reliable." As a soldier, he ranked among the 
best officers of his division ; and, had he possessed sufficient 
impudence, would doubtless have been promoted to a brigadier- 
general. 



COLONEL JOHN ADAIR M'DOWELL. 

FIRST COLONEL, SIXTH INFANTRY. 

John A. McDowell is a younger brother of Major-General 
Irwin McDowell, who led the Federal forces in the first great 
battle of the war. Colonel McDowell was born in the city of 
Columbus, Ohio, the 22d day of July, 1825, and was graduated 
at Kenyan College, Gambia, Ohio, in the year 1846. While at 
Kenyan College he devoted much time to the study of military 
tactics, under the instruction of Professor Boss, a former Pro- 
fessor of Mathematics and Tactics in the West Point Military 
Academy, New York, and the widely known translator of 
Bourdon and other mathematical works. Colonel McDowell's 
experience as an officer began as captain of the Kenyan Guards, 
an independent military company, which, in its day, attained 
much celebrity for its proficiency in discipline and drill. 

Leaving college with the highest oratorical honors of his 
class, he entered, in 1847, the office of Judge Swan, and pre- 
pared himself for the practice of law. The vast mineral wealth 
of California was, in 1848 and 1849, attracting thousands of 
emigrants from the States to that country ; and, for young men 
of enterprise and talent, the prospects seemed flattering. Hav- 
ing completed his legal studies in 1848, he left in the following 
Spring for California, in company with the 2d United States 
Dragoons. He arrived on the shores of the Pacific in the 
following Fall, and without incident, if we except the passage 
of the Rio Grande. In crossing that river, he came near losing 
his own life, in his generous efforts to save the life of a friend. 
Locating in Monterey, he began the practice of law, and soon 
became a public man; for, in 1851, he was elected mayor of 

147 



148 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

that city. Those were, in California, tlie days of vigilance com- 
mittees, and the duties of liis office required great caution and 
judgment; but his management was firm and judicious, and 
he secured the confidence of tlie public. 

In 1852 he returned to the States, and, the following year, 
settled in Keokuk, Iowa. During Colonel McDowell's resi- 
dence in Iowa, and prior to his entering the service, he 
followed the profession of civil engineering. He was at one 
time the City Engineer of Keokuk, but, at the outbreak of the 
war, was Superintendent and Chief Engineer of the Keokuk, 
Mount Pleasant and Minnesota Railroad. 

In the spring of 1861, Colonel McDowell visited Washington 
for the purpose of obtaining authority to raise a regiment of 
infantry. Authority was granted by the War Department, 
and he returned to Burlington, which was to be the rendezvous 
of his regiment. The 6th Iowa Infantry was enlisted princi- 
pally from the counties of Linn, Lucas, Hardin, Appanoose, 
Monroe, Clark, Johnson, Lee, Des Moines and Henry. It was 
mustered into the United States service on the 17th of July, 
1861 : its camp was Camp Warren. On the 2d of the following 
August, Colonel McDowell was ordered to Keokuk, and, during 
his week's stay there, a portion of his regiment took part in 
the affair at Athens, between the Union forces under Colonel 
Moore, and the Confederates under Green. On the 19th instant 
the regiment left for St. Louis, where, reporting to General 
Fremont, it was retained for five weeks in camp, at La Fayette 
Park. The first campaign on which the 6th Iowa marched, 
was that from Jefierson City to Springfield. 

Lyon had been killed at Wilson's Creek, and Sturgis, his suc- 
cessor, had fallen back to RoUa; when, instantly, the rebellious 
citizens of Missouri, from every quarter, made haste to join 
Price, their deliverer. Price, strongly reinforced, in council 
with that mean, cowardly traitor, Claib Jackson, rasolved on a 



JOHN A. M'DOWELIi. 149 

march northward. Small detachments of Federal troops with- 
drew from his line of march ; and, on the 12tli of September, he 
laid siege to Lexington. Fremont, in command of the Western 
Department, having made ineffectual efforts to relieve jNIulli- 
gan, quit St. Louis, and concentrated an army at Jefferson 
City, with which to march on Price, and either rout or capture 
his forces. Some claim more for this fossil hero; — that, after 
Price's annihilation, he was to march south, and, flanking 
Columbus, Hickman, Memphis, and a long stretch of the 
Mississippi, was to enter, in triumph, Little Rock. With him 
were Sigel, Hunter, Asboth, McKinstry, Pope, Lane, and his 
royal guard under Zagonyi. Price left Lexington on the 30th 
of September, and, the 8th of October, Fremont marched from 
Jefferson City. Such, briefly, is the history of what preceded 
the first great campaign in Missouri. 

Passing through Tipton, Warsaw on the Osage, and thence 
south, Fremont arrived in Springfield the 29th of October. 
Price was then at Neosho. And this is all that there is of 
Fremont's celebrated campaign in Missouri; for he was now 
relieved by the President, and his command turned over to 
General Hunter, who forthwith ordered a return in the direc- 
tion of St. Louis. I cannot forbear adding that Fremont was a 
better man than Hunter; for, if he had style, he also had pluck 
and confidence. On this campaign the Gth Iowa Infantry was 
under Brigadier-General McKinstry, and in three day's time 
marched seventy-five miles. 

During the winter of 1861-2, Colonel McDowell was stationed 
on the Pacific Railroad, which he guarded from Sedalia to 
Tipton; but, in the opening of the Spring Campaign, was 
relieved at his own request, and sent to the front. Early in 
March he sailed with his regiment up the Tennessee Elver, 
and landed at Pittsburg Landing, where he was immediately 
assigned to General Sherman's Division, and placed in 



150 IOWA COLONELS AND BEGIMENTS. 

command of a brigade. At the battle of Shiloh his command 
held the extreme right of General Grant's Army, and was 
stationed near the Purdy road. The 3d Iowa, it will be 
remembered, was stationed near the extreme left. The 11th 
and 13th Iowa, under McClernand, were to the left of Sherman ; 
and the 2d, 7th, 8th, 12th and 14th Iowa, in Smith's Division, 
commanded by W. H. L. Wallace, and to the left of McClern- 
and. The 15th and lOth Iowa fought on their own hook. The 
8th Iowa, however, fought under Prentiss. These were all the 
Iowa troops in the battle of Shiloh. 

The Gth Iowa was commanded at Shiloh by Captain John 
Williams; and, to show the part acted by the regiment, I 
quote briefly from his official report : 

"On Sunday morning, when the attack was made on Genera^ 
Grant's centre, the regiment was immediately brought into 
line of battle, and was then moved about fifty yards to the 
front, along the edge of the woods. Company I was thrown 
out as skirmishers, and Companies E and G were moved to the 
left and front of our line, to support a battery just placed there. 
We were in this position for more than two hours, when we 
were ordered to fall back to the rear of our camp, on the Purdy 
road. The battle at this time was raging fiercely in the centre, 
and extending gradually to the right. The line was slowly 
yielding to a vastly superior force, and it now became evident 
that we must change our position or be entirely cut off from 
the rest of the army. 

"The regiment then marched by the left flank about six 
hundred yards, crossed an open field about one hundred and 
fifty yards wide, took a position in the edge of the woods and 
formed a new line of battle, which was succeeded by another 
line, nearly perpendicular to the former, the right resting close 
to the Purdy road." 

This left flank movement was to the left and rear ; but this 
position was held but a very short time, when the regiment 
was marched to the rear about half a mile ; for McClernand's 
Division, and the left of Sherman's, had been driven back rap- 
idly. The next position taken by the regiment was in the 



JOHN A. M'DOWELL. 151 

edge of the woods, and formed a part of that line which, for 
several hours, held the enemy successfully at bay. At this 
hour, things looked more hopeful ; and, had all the troops that 
had stampeded and straggled been now in their proper places, 
Grant would probably have suffered no further reverses at Shi- 
loh. It was in this last position that the 6th Iowa suffered its 
severest loss. Captain Williams was wounded here, and the 
command of the regiment turned over to Captain Walden. 

Of less than six hundred and fifty men that went into the 
engagement, sixty-four were killed, one hundred wounded, 
and forty-seven missing. The 6th Iowa, as a regiment, was 
not engaged in the second day's battle, and its losses were 
slight. Among the wounded in the first day's fight were Cap- 
tain Williams, and Lieutenants Halliday and Grimes. The 
names of the killed I have failed to learn. " In regard to the 
bravery, coolness and intrepidity of both officers and men, too 
much can not be said. Where all did so well, to particularize 
would seem invidious." The regiment continued with Sher- 
man during the siege of Corinth, and Colonel McDowell in 
command of his brigade. The 6th was one of the regiments of 
his command. 

After the fall of Corinth, Colonel McDowell marched with 
his brigade to Memphis, where he remained the balance of the 
Summer, and during the following Fall. In November, he 
marched with his division on the campaign down through 
Oxford, and to the Yockona, after which he returned to La 
Grange, Tennessee, where he passed the Winter. While on the 
march from Corinth to Memphis, he was attacked with a dis- 
ease, pronounced by his surgeon an affection of the sciatic 
nerve. It had been contracted through exposure and by almost 
constant duty in the saddle, and was extremely painful ; but he 
continued on duty. Finally, receiving no relief, he tendered 
his resignation, which was accepted late in the winter of 1862-S. 



152 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

While stationed at Memphis, he received from General Sher- 
man a recommendation for brigadier-general, which was 
endorsed, I am informed, as follows: — "I think it but right 
and just that a gallant oflacer, who has discharged faithfully 
the duties of a brigadier for many months, should enjoy in full 
the rank and pay of the position." On leaving the service, his 
regiment presented him with a costly silver set, which, in its 
own language, was "a token of their esteem for him as a man, 
and their appreciation of his merit as an officer. " 

Colonel McDowell is a large man, and well proportioned, 
but a little too fleshy to look comfortable. He is above six feet 
in hight, and erect ; has a mild blue eye, light complexion, and 
a good-natured countenance. Usually, he seems kind and 
approachable, but, when aroused, the flash of his eye makes 
him look, as he really is, a most formidable opponent. He has 
large self-esteem, a good education and fine social qualities. 
His conversational powers are remarkable. He is fond of mer- 
riment, to be convinced of which you have only to look on his 
shaking sides : he laughs, like Momus, all over. 

Colonel McDowell has fine ability, but is naturally, I believe, 
inclined to be a little lazy. He is a close observer, and forms 
positive opinions. His experience in the army destroyed his 
faith in field artillery. "There are occasions," he once said, 
" when it is invaluable ; but, as a general thing, it is vox prm- 
ter-er nihil. If you fight to whip, you must fight to kill ; and 
whoever heard of a dead or wounded artillery-man? These 
things that you hold straight at a man, are the things that 
hurt." 

As a soldier. Colonel McDowell excelled as a disciplinarian 
and tactician : he was a splendid drill-master, a fact attested by 
his regiment, which was one of the best drilled in the volun- 
teer service. 



BREVET MAJOR-GENERAL JOHN M. CORSE. 

SECOND COLONEL, SIXTH INFANTRY. 

John M. Corse is the only military prodigy the State has 
furnished in the War of the Rebellion. For his family and 
intimate friends I am unable to speak, but I have knowledge 
positive that, with all others, his brilliant military career has 
created the greatest surprise. In civil life, though possessing 
large self-esteem, he was looked on as having only ordinary 
ability ; and, therefore, his promotion in the army to nearly 
the highest rank in the volunteer service, was wholly unlocked 
for. 

General Corse is a native of Pennsylvania, where he was 
born in about the year 1833. When young, he accompanied 
his parents West and settled with them in Burlington, Iowa ; 
where he has since resided. He was at one time a cadet in the 
West Point Military Academy, New York ; but had spent, I 
think, hardly two years at the institution, when he was 
politely informed that, should he tender his resignation, it 
would be accepted. At all events, he left West Point, and 
returned to Burlington, where he entered the book-store of his 
father. Not long after he became a partner in the business, 
and was thus engaged at the outbreak of the war. 

He entered the service as major of the 6th Iowa Infantry , 
and, up to the time of its arrival at Pittsburg Landing, has a 
military history similar to that of his regiment. During the 
siege of Corinth, he was a staff-officer of General Sherman — I 
think, his inspector-general. From the time of their first 
meeting, he was held in high esteem by that general. He 

was mustered a lieutenant-colonel the 21st of May, 1862 ; and, 

153 



154 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

on the resignation of Colonel McDowell, was made colonel of 
his regiment, and returned to its command. From that time 
forward, he grew rapidly popular. 

During his colonelcy and after, the history of the 6th Iowa is 
one of great interest. It is the same as that of Sherman's old 
Division. It was the only Iowa regiment in that division. 
On the assignment of General Sherman to the command of the 
15th Army Corps, its division was commanded by General 
William L. Smith, who, during the siege of Vicksburg, joined 
the army of General Grant in rear of the city. " Smith's and 
Kimball's Divisions, and Parke's Corps were sent to Haine's 
Bluff. * * This place I [Grant] had fortified to the 
land-side, and every preparation was made to resist a heavy 
force." After the fall of Vicksburg, the 6th Iowa marched 
with Sherman to Jackson, where it made itself conspicuous — 
with the exception of the 3d Iowa, more conspicuous than 
any other Iowa regiment. On the morning of the 16th of 
July, Colonel Corse was put in command of the skirmishers of 
the 1st Division, 15th Army Corps, and ordered to report to 
Major-General Parke, commanding the 9th Corps. The 6th 
Iowa was included in the colonel's command ; and, to show 
the part taken by the regiment in the advance of that 
morning, I quote from his official report : 

" I assumed command of the line formed by the skirmishers 
of the 6th Iowa ; and, at the designated signal, the men dashed 
forward with a shout, met the line of the enemy's skirmishers 
and pickets, drove them back, capturing eighteen or twenty, 
and killing as many more. Clearing the timber, they rushed 
out into the open field, across the railroad, over the fence, up a 
gentle slope, across the crest, down into the enemy's line, when 
two field-batteries of four guns each, pointing west, opened a 
terrific cannonade. The enemy were driven from two i)ieces 
at the point of the bayonet, our men literally running them 
through. In rear of the batteries, two regiments were lying 
supporting the gunners, and, at our approach, they opened 



JOHN M. CORSE. 155 

along their whole line, causing most of the casualties in this 
gallant regiment. With such impetuosity did the line go 
through the field that the enemy, so completely stunned were 
they, would have precipitately fled, had they not been re-as- 
sured by a large gun-battery, nearly six hundred yards to our 
right, which enfiladed the railroad line of skirmishers. 
Startled at this unexpected obstacle, which was now in full 
play, throwing its whirlwind of grape and canister about us 
until the corn fell as if by an invisible reaper, I ordered the 
bugle to sound the 'lie down.' The entire line fell in the 
corn-rows, and I had the opportunity to look round. * * 
* * Feeling that I had obtained all the information I 
could, I ordered the 'rise up' and 'retreat,' which was done 
in the most admirable manner, under the fire of at least three 
regiments and seven guns — three of these enfilading my line. 
But few of those who had so gallantly charged the battery got 
back. I cannot speak in too extravagant terms of the officers 
and men of the 6th Iowa on this occasion. * They awakened 
m.y admiration at the coolness with which they retired, return- 
ing the incessant fire of the enemy as they slowly fell back." 

The loss of the 6th Iowa in this encounter was one killed, 
eighteen wounded, and nine missing. The conduct of the regi- 
ment filled the general commanding the division with admi- 
ration : 

"Head-quarters First Division, Sixteenth Army Corps, 
"In Front of Jackson, Mississippi, July 16tli, 1863. 

"Colonel, Corse, commanding Qth Iowa Infantry: 

"The valor of your noble regiment has been conspicuous, 
even amidst the universal good conduct that has marked the 
operations of all the troops of the 1st Division, during our 
advance upon Jackson, and since our arrival here. I can not 
too highly commend the gallantry you have displayed in two 
successful charges you have made. The true heart swells with 
emotions of pride in contemplating the heroism of those who, 
in their country's cause, charge forward under the iron-hail of 
half a dozen rebel batteries, and, exposed to a murderous fire 
of musketry from behind strong intrenchments, capture prison- 
ers under their very guns. Such has been the glorious conduct 
of the 6th Iowa this morning; and those who shared your 
dangers, and emulated your valor, will join me in tendering to 



156 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

you and the brave men under your command my warmest 
thanks and most hearty congratulations. 
"Most truly yours, 

"William Lov'y Smith, 
'■^ Bvigadier-Geiieral commanding Ist Div., IGth A. C" 

In October, 18G3, the 6th Iowa, with its division, (which in 
the meantime had been transferred to the loth Corps) marched 
to the relief of Chattanooga. Under General Hugh Ewing it 
fought on Mission Bidge. Its position was just to the left of 
the two brigades of General John E. Smith ; and, with those 
troops, it fought for the possession of that point which covered 
General Bragg's line of retreat. It was so far to the left that it 
escaped the flank movement of the enemy from the railroad 
tunnel, and lost few, if any prisoners. The regiment, how- 
ever, suffered severely in killed and wounded. Eight fell dead 
upon the field, one of whom was the gallant Captain Robert 
Allison. Major Ennis, and Captains Calvin Minton, L. C. 
Allison and G. R. Nunn were wounded. The total nmnber of 
killed and wounded was sixty-eight. 

If foraging in the enemy's country is always a labor of 
danger, it is also sometimes attended with sport. Apropos, 
the 6th Iowa Infantry was one of the most expert and success- 
ful foraging regiments in the service. At all events, it was, in 
this respect, the banner regiment from Iowa ; and I am aware 
how high is the compliment I am paying it. If that sergeant 
is still living, (I did not learn his name) he will recognize the 
following: Hugh Ewing's Division led John E. Smith's in the 
march from Chickasaw on the Tennessee to Bridgeport. That 
of which I speak occurred between Prospect Station and 
Fayetteville. We were marching along leisurely through a 
beautiful, highly-improved country, when, of a sudden, there 
was great confusion in the front. It would remind you of a 
crowd running to witness a show-day fight. A sergeant of the 
6th Iowa, with a squad of one man, two mules and a revolver, 



JOHN M. CORSE. 157 

had left his regiment on a foraging excursion, and returned 
with a whole train, ladened with the fruits of the land. He had 
fresh apples and dried apples, sweet potatoes and pumpkins, 
bed-clothes, and butter-milk in canteens: all were loaded on 
old rickety wagons, drawn by half-starved mules, and driven 
by American citizens of African descent. To share these spoils 
was the cause of the confusion. " He had got them for his 
boys," he said; but precious few of them did his boys ever get. 
At Fayetteville, the 6th Iowa was infantry^ and, only two 
days later, when they passed us in the woods near Winchester, 
nearly half the regiment was cavalry. " What in the d— 1 do 
you go a-foot for ? " they said to us ; but they lost their horses 
before reaching Chattanooga, and, like us, fought at Mission 
Bidge on foot. The regiment was as reckless in battle as it was 
on the march. 

General Corse was severely wounded at Mission Ridge, and 
disabled for several months. His intrepidity there, and his 
previous good conduct, secured his promotion to the rank of 
brigadier-general. When partially recovered, he was, I think, 
ordered on duty in Indiana. In a short time he was placed on 
General Sherman's staff, and in August, 1864, was assigned to 
the command of a division. That passage in his military his- 
tory which will make his name distinguished hereafter, is that 
which records his defense of Allatoona, Georgia. At the time 
in question he was in command of the 4th Division, 15th Army 
Corps, one of the divisions comprised in General Dodge's com- 
mand during the march on Atlanta. An account of the 
defense of Allatoona will be found elsewhere. I give below 
simply the correspondence of Generals French and Corse, and 
the congratulatory orders of Generals Howard and Sherman : 

"Around Allatoona, October 5th, 8:15 A. M. 

"Commanding Officer U. S. Force, Allatoona: 

" Sir: — I have placed the forces under my command in such 
positions that you are surrounded, and, to avoid a useless 



158 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

effusion of blood, I call on you to surrender your forces at once, 
and unconditionally. Five minutes will be allowed you to 
decide. Should you accede to this, you will be treated in the 
most honorable manner, as prisoners of war. 
"I have the honor to be, very respectfully, yours, 

"S. G, French, 
'•''Major-General commanding forces C. /S'." 



[the reply.] 

" Headquarters Fourth Division, Fifteenth Armv Corps, 
Allatoona, Georgia, October 5th, 8:30 A M. 

" Major-General S. G. French, C. S. A. : 

"Your communication demanding surrender of my com- 
mand, I acknowledge receipt of, and respectfully reply that we 
are prepared for the useless effusion of blood wiienever it is 
agreeable to you. 

"I am very respectfully your obedient servant, 
" John M. Corse, 
" Brigadier- General commanding Uh Divisio7i, 15th A. C." 

How needless was the effusion of blood the following orders 

of Generals Howard and Sherman will show : 

General Field Orders No. 18. 

" Head-Quarters Department and Army of the Tennessee, 
Near Kenesaw Mountain, October 16th. 
" Whilst uniting in the high commendation awarded by the 
General-in-chief, the Army of the Tennessee would tender 
through me its most hearty appreciation and thanks to Brig- 
adier-General J. M. Corse for his promptitude, energy and 
eminent success in the defense of Allatoona Pass, against a 
force so largely superior to his own ; and our warmest congrat- 
ulations are extended to him, to Colonel Tourtellotte, and the 
rest of our comrades in arms who fought at Allatoona, for the 
glorious manner in which they vetoed ' the useless effusion of 

blood.' 

"O. O. Howard, 

' ' Official. JIajor- General. ' ' 



Special Field Orders, No. 86. 

"Head-Quarters Military Division of the Mississippi, 
In the Field, Kenesaw Mountain, October 6th. 

The General commanding avails himself of the opportu- 



JOHN M. CORSE. 



159 



nity in the handsome defense made of ' Allatoona,' to illustrate 
the most important principle in war, that fortified posts should 
be defended to the last, regardless of the relative numbers of 
the party attacking and attacked. 

" Allatoona was garrisoned by three regiments commanded 
by Colonel Tourtelotte, and reinforced by a detachment from a 
division at Home, under command of Brigadier-General J. M. 
Corse on the morning of the 5th, and a few hours after was 
attacked by French's Division of Stewart's Corps, two other 
divisions being near at hand, and in support. General French 
demanded a surrender, in a letter to ' avoid an useless effusion 
of blood,' and gave but five minutes for an answer. General 
Corse's answer was emphatic and strong, that he and his com- 
mand were ready for the ' useless eifusion of blood,' as soon as it 
was agreeable to General French. 

"This answer was followed by an attack which was prolonged 
for five hours, resulting in the complete repulse of the enemy, 
who left his dead on the ground amounting to more than two 
hundred, and four hundred prisoners, well and wounded. The 
' effusion of blood ' was not ' useless,' as the position at Alla- 
toona was and is very important to our present and future 
operations. 

"The thanks of this army are due, and hereby accorded to 
General Corse, Colonel Tourtelotte, officers and men for their 
determined and gallant defense of Allatoona, and it is made an 
example to illustrate the importance of preparing in time, and 
meeting the danger when present, boldly, manfully and well. 
" This Army, though unseen to the garrison, was co-operat- 
ing by moving toward the road by which the enemy could 
alone escape, but unfortunately were delayed by the rain and 
mud, but this fact hastened the retreat of the enemy. 

"Commanders and garrisons of posts along our railroads 
are hereby instructed that they must hold their posts to the 
last minute, sure that the time gained is valuable and neces- 
sary to their comrades at the front. 
" By oi'der of 

" Major-General W. T. Sherman, 

" L. M. Dayton, 
"Official. ^- -^- C'." 

At Allatoona General Corse was again wounded. A musket- 
shot struck him in the cheek, and, for a time, rendered him 



160 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

insensible. Colonel R. Rowett of the 7th Illinois, as ranking 
officer, succeeded him in command ; and the fighting continued 
as before with great fury. At twelve o'clock M., Sherman 
had reached the summit of Kenesaw, and from that point 
signaled to the garrison : — " Hold on to Allatoona to the last ; 
I will help you." Not long after the enemy retired, having 
failed to draw their one million and a half of rations. 

For his brilliant defense of Allatoona, General Corse was 
made, by brevet, a major-general. Since that time, he has 
remained in command of his division. He joined Sherman in 
the march from Atlanta to Savannah, and from that city to 
Raleigh. They say Sherman calls him, " mypeV 

Subsequently to the engagement at Mission Ridge, the 6th 
Iowa Infantry has been commanded a chief portion of the 
time by Lieutenant-Colonel J. A. Miller. During the winter 
of 1863-4 the regiment was stationed with its division along 
the line of the Memphis and Charleston Railroad, between 
Bridgeport and Huntsville ; but in the Spring was ordered to 
the front and served through the Atlanta campaign. It fought 
at Resaca, Dallas, Big Shanty, Kenesaw Mountain, before 
Atlanta and at Jonesboro ; and lost in killed and wounded, in 
the months of May and June, an aggregate of one hundred 
and six. Lieutenant Rodney F. Barker, of Company A, was 
wounded in the first day's engagement at Dallas. On the 28th 
of May, the day following, Lieutenant F. F. Baldwin was 
killed, and Lieutenant and Adjutant Newby Chase mortally 
wounded. The former was killed while saving two guns of 
the 1st Iowa Battery from capture, and the latter, shot in the 
throat and mortally wounded, while on the skirmish line. A 
correspondent of the regiment says: "Better men never 
drew swords." Lieutenant-Colonel A. J. Miller was severely 
wounded in this same engagement at Dallas. Indeed, three of 
the four regimental commanders of the 2d Brigade, 4th 



JOHN M. CORSE. 161 

Division, were struck, two of them being Ivilled— Colonel 
Dickerman of tlie 103d Illinois and Major Gisey of the 46th 
Ohio. The total loss of the 6th Iowa at Dallas, was seven men 
killed, and fifteen wounded. 

On the loth of June the regiment joined its division in the 
brilliant charge near Big Shanty, and, two days later, took 
part in the unsuccessful charge at Kenesaw Mountain. In that 
of the 15th instant, Lieutenant J. F. Grimes, acting' adjutant, 
was killed. At the opening of the campaign, the 6th Iowa 
arrived before Dalton, nearly four hundred strong; and by the 
middle of July had suffered a loss of fifty per cent. The last 
services of the 6th Iowa Infantry were performed in the 
marches from Atlanta to Savannah, and thence to Raleigh. 

General Corse is a small man. He is not above five feet 
eight inches in hight, and weighs less than one hundred and 
twenty-five pounds. He is small in stature, and, to look at him, 
a stranger would not think his mind and body much out of pro- 
portion. He has more ability than he seems to have. He has 
sharp features, a dark complexion, large, dark eyes, and black 
hair, which he usually wears long. In his movements, he is 
dignified and somewhat consequential, carrying a high head, 
and wearing a stern countenance. > (I speak of him as I saw 
him in the service.) Before he entered the service, his neigh- 
bors in Burlington told on him the following story. I do not 
suppose it is true, but possibly it illustrates his character. 
When he became a partner with his father in the book business, 
the story goes, there had to be a new sign made. The father 
suggested that it read, " J. L. Corse & Son;" while the future 
general insisted that it should read, "John M. Corse and 
Father." 

I omitted to mention in the proper place that, in 1860, the 

general was a candidate for the office of Secretary of State. 

Perhaps I ought to omit it now, for I venture to say, he is not 

11 



162 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

proud of that passage in his history ; he was the candidate on 
the old Hickory ticket, with a certain prospect of being 
defeated. 

In battle I believe General Corse to be as cool a man as ever 
met an enemy. His defense of Allatoona shows that. He has 
always seemed to act on the principle suggested by General 
Jerry Sullivan: "Boys, when you have fought just as long 
as you think you possibly can, then fight ten minutes longer, 
and you will always whip." General Corse has richly earned 
his distinguished reputation, and the State will always be 
proud of him. 



BRIGADIER-GENERAL JACOB G. LAUMAN. 

FIRST COLONEL, SEVENTH INFANTRY. 

Jacob Gartner Lauman was the fourth volunteer officer 
from Iowa, promoted to a brigadier. He was born in Tarry- 
town, Maryland, on the 20th day of January, 1813; but 
removed with his family, when young, to York, Pennsylva- 
nia. In 1844, he came West, and settled in Burlington, Iowa, 
where, engaging in mercantile pursuits, he has since made his 
home. At the outbreak of the war, he took an active part in 
enlisting and mustering our volunteer troops, and, on the 11th 
of July, 1861, was commissioned colonel of the 7th Iowa Infan- 
try—later, the heroes of Belmont. 

While under the command of Colonel Lauman, the 7th Iowa 
was stationed and served at the following points :- Jefferson 
Barracks, Pilot Knob, Ironton, Cape Girardeau and Jackson, 
Missouri;. Cairo, Illinois; Fort Holt, Mayfield Creek, Camp 
Crittenden and Fort Jefferson, Kentucky; and Norfolk and 
Bird's Point, Missouri. The regiment was stationed at the 
latter place, on the 6th of November, 1861, when it sailed on 
the Belmont expedition, the object of which was, "to prevent 
the enemy from sending out re-inforcements to Price's army 
in Missouri, and also from cutting off columns that I [Grant] 
had been directed to send out from Cairo and Cape Girardeau, 
in pursuit of Jeff Thompson." 

On this expedition, the battle of Belmont was fought; and 
the conduct of Colonel Lauman in the engagement, together 
with that of his regiment, gave him his early popularity as a 
military leader. At Belmont, the 7th Iowa greatly distin- 
guished itself, and received from General Grant, in his official 

. 163 



164 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

rejiort, the following mention : — " Nearly all the missing were 
from the Iowa regiment, (the 7th) who behaved with great 
gallantry, and suffered more severely than any otlier of the 
troops." 

Just when the enemy had been driven from their camp, and 
down the steep bank of the Mississippi, Colonel Lauman, while 
giving Captain Parrott instructions with reference to the cap- 
tured artillery, was disabled from a musket-shot wound in the 
thigh. He was taken back to the transports on one of the guns 
of Cajitain Taylor's Battery, just in advance of his regiment, 
and was only in time to escai)e that terrible enfilading fire that 
\well nigh annihilated the rear of Grant's forces. 

A rejnarkable incident occurred while the troops were 
re-embarking after the battle. It is well vouched for, and wor- 
thy of record. The last transport had just cut its hawser, and 
was dropping out into the stream, when the enemy suddenly 
appeared on the bank with artillery. One piece waa hastily 
put in battery, and leveled on the crowded decks of the trans- 
port. The rebel gunner was just about pulling the lanyard, 
when a shell, from one of the Union gun-boats, burst directly 
under the carriage of the gun, throwing gun, carriage and all 
high in the air. The carriage was demolished, and, while 
still in the air, the gun exploded. The rebel gunner and 
several others were killed ; and the lives of at least a score of 
Union soldiers were saved by this remarkable shot. 

"It was after the retreat had commenced that Lieutenant- 
Colonel Wentz Wius killed, lie died on the field of battle, like 
a true soldier; he was a truly brave man, and did his duty 
well and nobly. Lieutenant Dodge of Company B was killed, 
and Lieutenant Gardner, who commanded Comjjany 1, and 
Lieutenant Beam of Company C, mortally wounded. Among 
my olticers, more or less severely wounded, you will fiuil the 
names of Major Bice, Captains Harper, Parrott, Kittredgo and 
Gardner, and 1st Lieutenant Ue Ileus, (who commanded com- 



JACOB G. LAUMAN. 



165 



pany A) of whose bravery I desire to speak in the most 
emphatic manner. I desire also to direct your attention to 
Captain Crabb, who was talcen prisoner, and who behaved m 
the bravest manner. But I might go on in this way and name 
nearly all my command, for they all behaved like heroes; but 
there are one or two more I feel it my duty to name as deserv- 
ing special mention. Lieutenant Bowler, adjutant of the regi- 
ment and Lieutenant Estle, whose conduct was worthy of all 
praise, and private Lawrence A. Gregg, whose thigh was 
broken and he left on the field ; he was taken prisoner and his 
lea- amputated, but he died the same day, telling his captors 
wHh his dying breath, that, if he ever recovered so as to be 
able to move, he would shoulder his musket again in his coun- 
try's cause." 

"My entire loss in killed, wounded, prisoners and missnig, 
out of an aggregate of somewhat over four hundred, is as 
follows: Killed, fifty-one; died of wounds, three; missing, 
ten; prisoners, thirty-nine; wounded, one hundred and twenty- 
four. Total, two hundred and twenty-seven." 

Having recovered from his wound. Colonel Lauman re-joined 
his regiment ; and at the battle of Fort Donelson was placed in 
command of a brigade, composed of the 2d, 7th and 14th Iowa, 
and the 25th Indiana. At Fort Donelson, the gallantry of his 
brigade-more especially that of the 2d Iowa-made him a 
brigadier-general. From what occurred just before the success- 
ful assault was made, it seems that the success of his troops was 
unlooked for by Colonel Lauman ; for to Colonel Tuttle, who 
desired to lead the charge, he said: "Why, sir, you can't go up 
there ; didn't I try it yesterday ? " And to the reply of Colonel 
Tuttle, that he would, if he lost the last man of his regiment, 
he said, "Oh, sir! you'll soon get that taken out of you." 
After the assault of the 2d Iowa at Fort Donelson, Colonel 
Lauman believed there was nothing that brave men could not 
accomplish. 

After being promoted to the rank of a brigadier, General 
Lauman was assigned to the command of a brigade in General 
Hurlbut's Division, with which he fought in the left wing of 



166 IOWA COLONELS AND BEGIMENTS. 

Grant's army at Shiloh. Colonel Williams of the 3d Iowa 
having been disabled in that engagement, General Lauman 
succeeded him in the command of his brigade; which com- 
mand he retained until the following October. He marched 
with Sherman and Hurlbut from Corinth to Memphis, after 
the fall of the former place; and, in the following Fall, when 
the enemy began to show activity in the neighborhood of 
Corinth, returned with Hurlbut to the vicinity of Bolivar, 
Tennessee; near which place he was encamped just before 
the battle of luka. To mislead the enemy under Price at 
luka, or, as General Grant expresses it, "to cover our 
movement from Corinth, and to attract the attention of the 
enemy in another direction, I ordered a movement from 
Bolivar to Holly Springs. This was conducted by Brigadier- 
General Lauman." On the 5th of October, General Lauman 
commanded his brigade in the battle on the Hatchie. 

General Hurlbut's march from Bolivar to the Big Muddy, 
about two miles west of the Hatchie, has already been given 
in the sketch of Colonel Aaron Brown. The battle of the 
Hatchie, or Matamora, opened between the Federal and 
Confederate artillery, the former stationed on the bluffs, and 
the latter in the Hatchie Bottom. After a brief artillery duel, 
the 2d Brigade, General Veatch commanding, charged the 
enemy's infantry that liad crossed the bridge to the west side 
of the stream, and routed them. Falling back across the 
bridge, they, with the balance of the rebel forces, took up a 
position on the opposite bluffs. General Ord, now coming to 
the front, determined to attack the enemy in their strong 
position, and accordingly ordered General Veatch to push his 
brigade across the bridge. 

Tlie topography of the battle-ground on the east side of the 
Hatchie, is thus well given by Lieutenant Tliompson, of the 
3d Iowa Infantry: 



JACOB G. LAUMAN. 167 

"Beyond the river there was about twelve rods of bottom, 
and then there arose a very high and steep bkiff. Along the 
brow of this, the enemy, rallying and reinforced, had formed 
new lines of battle, and planted artillery, which, from different 
points, enfiladed the road and bridge, and swept the field on 
both sides of the stream. Following up the river just above 
the bridge, it makes an abrupt elbow, and comes down from 
the east, running parallel to the road on the opposite side [of 
the bridge]. In this elbow, and on not more than half an acre 
of ground, a part of General Veatch's Brigade, according to 
the orders of General Ord, would have to deploy." 

Crossing the bridge and filing to the left, it was possible to 
gain the enemy's right flank ; for on that side of the road the 
north point of the bluffs could be passed; and what seems 
strange is that, a man of General Ord's ability should not have 
discovered this strategical point. The balance of General Lau- 
man's Brigade, which was of the reserve forces, was now 
ordered across the bridge, and directed to file to the right, into 
the inevitable pocket. General Lauman, accompanied by his 
orderlies, led the advance. To cross the open field, and then 
the bridge, was a most perilous undertaking ; for, on the bluffs 
on the opposite side, as has already been stated, the enemy's 
artillery was so planted as to give them a converging fire on 
both the field and bridge. General Lauman reached the oppo- 
site side in safety, followed by the other two regiments of his 
brigade, one of which was the 3d Iowa Infantry. 

The battle was now raging with great fury, the enemy from 
their elevated position pouring a deadly, continuous fire on 
their helpless victims below, whose returning fire was almost 
wholly ineffectual. Confusion must soon have followed ; but 
just then General Ord was wounded, and General Hurlbut 
assumed command. He at once crossed the bridge, and, in 
person, directed a flank movement around the bluffs to the left. 
The troops employed were the 46th Illinois, the 68th Ohio, and 
the 12th Michigan. The enemy's right flank was soon gained 



168 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

and turned, which comi^elled them to abandon the bluffs ; — 
and thus the day was saved from disaster. 

This pocket-blunder of General Ord, and the subsequent 
indiscretion of General Lauman, have been considered by some 
as connected with the latter's ill-fortune at Jackson, Missis- 
sippi, in the summer of 1863. The story is as follows: — In 
the winter of 1862-3, a supper was given in Memphis, where 
Generals Ord, Veatch, Lauman and others, were present. 
When the wine was passing, and all were merry, the affair on 
the Hatchie occurred to General Lauman, and he remarked to 
General Ord : — " General, that was a bit of a blunder, in put- 
ting us into that pocket, wasn't it?" (I may not give the 
language, but I give the idea.) General Ord, it is said, made 
no reply ; but gave his eyes a wicked leer, which, even then, 
some thought meant mischief. 

Soon after the battle of Matamora, General Hurlbut was 
made a major-general, and assigned to the command of the 
District of Jackson, Tennessee. General Lauman succeeded 
him in the command of his division. 

If we except the march of General Grant into Central Mis- 
sissippi, in which General Lauman joined with his division, 
his military history, for the six months following the battle of 
Matamora, is void of great interest. During this time, he had 
his head-quarters, first at Bolivar, then at Moscow, and then 
at Memphis. When Vicksburg was beleagured, he left Mem- 
phis to report to General Grant in rear of that city ; and, on 
the fall of Vicksburg, marched with his division on the, to Mm, 
unfortunate campaign to Jackson. His position before Jack- 
son, and what happened on the 12th of July, appear in the 
sketch of Colonel Aaron Brown, of the 3d Iowa Infantry. 
With reference to a further history of this affjiir, I shall only 
add an extract from the official report of General Sherman. 

"On the 12th [July], whilst General Lauman's Division was 



JACOB G. LAUMAN. 169 

moving up into position, dressing to his left on General Hovey, 
the riglit of his line came within easy range of the enemy's 
field artillery and musketry, from behind his works, whereby 
this division sustained a serious loss, amounting in killed, 
wounded and missing to near five hundred men. This was 
the only serious loss which befell my command during the 
campaign, and resulted from misunderstanding or misin- 
terpretation of General Ord's minute instructions, on the i^art 
of General Lauman." 

At the time of the occurrence of this misfortune, General 
Ord's head-quarters were to the right of the Clinton and Jack- 
son road, and near where the left of his command rested. 
Near that of General Ord's, was the tent of Surgeon Wm. L. 
Orr of the 2ist Iowa. When the heavy firing opened in front 
of General Lauman's command, Ord, in a tone of much sur- 
prise and alarm, called hurriedly to one of his aids: "What 
does that mean? what does that mean? Ride out there quickly 
and see." General Lauman was at once relieved of his 
command, and ordered to report to General Grant at 
Vicksburg. Upon his departure he issued the following 
order: 

"Head-qpakters Fourth Division, Sixteenth Army Corps, 
"In the Field, Near Jackson, Miss., July I2th, 1863. 

" Fellow-Soldiers : 

Having been relieved from the command of the 4th Division 
by Major-General Ord, the command is turned over to Briga- 
dier-General Hovey. To say that I part with my old comrades 
with sorrow and regret, is simply giving expression to my 
heart-felt feelings. I shall ever remember the toils and hard- 
ships we have endured together, and the glory which the Old 
Fourth has won on hard-fought fields, and the glory which 
clusters around their names like a halo — with pride and satis- 
faction. 

"And now, in parting with you, I ask a last request, that, in 
consideration of your past fame, you do nothing, in word or 
deed, to mar it; but that you give to your present or future 
commander that prompt obedience to orders which has always 



170 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

characterized the division, and which has given to it the proud 
position which it now enjoys. 
"Officers and soldiers, I bid you now an affectionate farewell. 

" J. G. Lauman, 

Brigadier- General. ' ' 

But for his ill-fated blunder at Jackson, General Lauman 
would doubtless ere this have been made a major-general. 

Reporting to General Grant, he was sent, I think, to an 
Eastern Department, and assigned a command somewhere in 
Northern Virginia ; but before his arrival, the command had 
been given to another. He was then ordered to report to his 
home in Burlington to await further orders from Washington, 
which, thus far, he has failed to receive. The general, I am 
informed, has made frequent efforts to secure an investigation 
of the causes, whereby he was thrown under opprobrium, 
but without success. Rumor says that both Grant and Sher- 
man have put him off with, " we have no time to convene 
courts-martial." 

The war is now closing, and he will, probably, go out of the 
service, without being restored to a command. Indeed, his 
health is broken down, and he is now totally unfit for service. 

Like the majority of the Iowa general ofiicers, General 
Lauman is of only middle size. His person is slender, and his 
weight about one hundred and forty pounds. He has a nervous, 
excitable temperament, and a mild, intelligent countenance. 

As a military leader, he is brave to a fault, but he lacks 
judgment. He would accomplish much more by intrepidity, 
than by strategy ; and, if his intrepidity failed him, he might 
lose every thing. 

He has been a successful merchant, and stands among the 
wealthy men of Burlington. As a citizen, he has always been 
held in the highest esteem, and is noted for his kind-hearted- 
ness and liberality. 



BRIGADIER-GENERAL ELLIOTT W. RICE. 

SECOND COLONEL, SEVENTH INFANTKY. 

Elliott "W. Rice, a younger brother of the late General 
Samuel A. Rice, who died in the summer of 18G4, of a wound 
received at the battle of Jenkins' Ferry, is a native of Pitts- 
burg, Pennsylvania, where he was born on the 16th of 
November, 1835. In 1837, he removed with his father's family 
to Belmont county, Ohio, where he made his home till the 
year 1855. He was regularly graduated at Franklin College, 
Ohio, in 1854; and immediately after entered the Law Uni- 
versity at Albany, New York. In 1855, he came West, and 
became a law-partner of his late brother at Oskaloosa, Iowa. 

Early in the spring of 1861, General Rice enlisted as a 
private in the 7th Iowa Infantry ; but was, on the 30th of the 
following August, promoted to the majority of the regiment. 
He served with his regiment with that rank till after the 
battle of Fort Donelson, when he was commissioned colonel, 
vice Colonel Lauman promoted to brigadier-general. This 
promotion was endorsed by the almost unanimous voice of the 
officers of his regiment, and was a high compliment to his 
military talent and worth. One of the brightest pages in 
General Rice's military history was made prior to the date of 
his colonel's commission, on the battle-field of Belmont. The 
enemy had been forced through the low, timbered bottoms 
that skirt the west side of the Mississippi above Columbus; 
they had been driven back to their encampment, and 
beyond, to the banks of the Mississippi below Columbus; 
their camp had been burned, and their flag — Harp of Erin 
— captured, when word came, "we are flanked." Colonel 

171 



172 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

Lauman had already been wounded and taken to the rear. At 
the very moment that orders were received to fall back, the 
enemy rallied in front, and Lieutenant-Colonel Wentz fell, 
mortally wounded. Under these circumstances, Major Rice 
took command of his regiment to conduct the retreat. Pie had 
already been severely wounded, though he said he tvas not 
hurt. Placing himself at the head of his regiment, which he 
had hastily re-formed, (for all just then was confusion) he 
dashed through the "lines of the enemy that had been inter- 
posed between the Federal forces and the landing, disregarding 
all calls of " surrender !" In the terrific enfilading fire through 
which he passed, his horse was pierced with twenty bullets ; 
his sword-scabbard was shot in two ; his sword-belt shot away, 
and his clothes riddled; but he saved a remnant of his 
regiment, and brought it safely back to the transports. His 
gallant conduct in this engagement made him the idol of his 
regiment. 

The history of the 7th Iowa Infantry, subsequently to the 
battle of Fort Donelson, when Major Rice was promoted to 
colonel, is briefly as follows : — For three weeks after the battle, 
the regiment rested in rebel barracks, constructed by the enemy 
for winter quarters. Then, marching back to the Tennessee, it 
took the steamer White Cloud at Metal Landing for Pittsburg. 

As already stated, the 7th Iowa fought at Shiloh with the 2d, 
12th, and 14th Iowa regiments. It was commanded by Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel J. C. Parrott, and lost in the engagement thirty- 
four in killed, wounded and missing. Lieutenant John Dillin, 
a resident of Iowa City, was killed, and no other commissioned 
ofl&cer of the regiment was struck. After the fall of Corinth, 
and the pursuit of the enemy to Boonville, the 7th returned 
and established, with its brigade, what was known as Camp 
Montgomery. Here the regiment passed the chief portion of 
its time till the battles of luka and Ccrinth. 



ELLIOTT W. RICE. 173 

At the battle of Corinth, the 7th Iowa suffered severely, the 
list of casualties amounting to one hundred and twenty-three. 
In speaking of the conduct of his officers and men in the 
engagement. Colonel Rice said : 

" I must make special mention of Lieutenant-Colonel Par- 
rott, who, with great bravery and coolness, cheered and 
encouraged the men to renewed vigor. * * * It is 
with pleasure that I make favorable mention of almost all my 
officers who were engaged in the two day's battle. Major 
McMuUen did efficient service until he was wounded and dis- 
abled, on the evening of the 3d. Captain Conn, although 
wounded, remained with his command through both day's 
battle. Captains Hedges and Mahon, left in camp sick, left 
their beds and came on the battle-field on Saturday, and did 
efficient service. Their companies were well commanded Fri- 
day by Lieutenants Dillon and Sergeant. Lieutenant Gale 
displayed great gallantry, and was severely wounded in the 
battle of the 4th, after which the company was bravely led by 
Lieutenant Morrison. 

" Captains Irvin and Reiniger performed their duties nobly. 
I must also mention Lieutenants Hope, Loughridge, Irvin, 
McCormick, Bennett and Bess. Captain Smith, who was 
killed in the last hour of the battle of the 4th, was one of the 
most promising young officers of the service. He was brave, 
cool and deliberate in battle, and very efficient in all his duty. 
Color-Sergeant Aleck Field was wounded in the battle of the 
3d: afterwards the colors were borne by William Akers of 
Company G, who was also wounded, when they were carried 
by George Craig, of Company B. All of the color-guard, with 
the exception of one, were either killed or wounded. Sergeant- 
Major Cameron, severely wounded, must not escape favorable 
mention for his brave and valuable services on the field. 

" While it is a pleasure to report the noble and heroic conduct 
of so many of my officers and men, we mourn the loss of the 
gallant dead, and sympathize deeply with the unfortunate 
wounded. More than one-third of those taken into action are 
wounded, or lie dead beneath the battle-field. With this sad 
record, we can send to Iowa the gratifying word that her 
unfortunate sons fell with faces to the enemy. * * * * * " 

For nearly a year and a half prior to the month of October, 



174 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

1863, the 7th Iowa Infantry remained at and near Corinth, 
Mississippi; but, at tlie above named date, marched with 
General Dodge from Corinth to Pulaski. In the winter of 
18G3-4, the regiment re-enlisted and came North on veteran 
furlough, and, on its return to the field, marched to the front 
with the 2d Iowa, via Prospect, Elkton and Huntsville. 

In Sherman's celebrated Atlanta campaign, Colonel Rice 
commanded his brigade, comjjosed of the 2d and 7th Iowa, the 
52d Illinois and 66th Indiana, (the same that he had com- 
manded for nearly a year before) and, at the battles of Hesaca, 
Lay's Ferry, Rome Cross Roads, Dallas, Kenesaw Mountain, 
and Niek-a-jack Creek, distinguished himself. For his gal- 
lantry and promptness to duty, he was recommended by 
General Sherman for promotion to a brigadier-general, and 
was appointed and confirmed to that rank, his commission 
dating the 20th of June, 1864. 

The engagement on Oostanaula River is worthy of special 
mention. Crossing his brigade in the face of the rebel General 
Walker's entire Division, he drove it in disgrace from the 
south bank of the stream, and secured a position which was 
generally believed to have necessitated the evacuation of 
Resaca. 

Of the different regiments in his command, the 7th Iowa 
Infentry suffered the most severely in this engagement. The 
regiment was moving through heavy timber, when it was 
suddenly charged by a whole brigade of rebel infantry. The 
charge was gallantly sustained, and a counter-charge made, 
which resulted in driving the enemy from the field. The loss 
of the regiment here was between sixty and seventy. 

The preliminaries to the battle of Dallas are briefly as fol- 
lows: Having arrived at Kingston, a small railroad station 
about eighty miles south of Chattanooga, the enemy were 
found posted across the Etowah River, in the Allatoona Moun- 



ELLIOTT W. EICE. 175 

tains. Their position, wlaicli was one of great natural strengtli, 
was to be carried by a flank movement ; and General INIcPher- 
son, moving south-west, reached and crossed the Etowah 
River, and marched directly for Atlanta. The enemy, when 
advised of the movement, abandoned their position on the 
Allatoona Mountains, and pushed for Dallas, some thirty-five 
miles south of Kingston. Hardee's rebel Corps, leading the 
advance, reached Dallas and strongly fortified itself before 
McPherson's arrival. What followed is well given by an 
ofiicer of General Rice's command : 

"At early dawn, on the 28th of May, the two contending 
armies were on the qui vive. All looked forward for the deeds 
the day might bring forth. Heavy skirmishing was kept up, 
which, at times, almost swelled into volleys; and, at short 
intervals, stretcher-men, with their precious burdens going to 
the rear, attested the accuracy with which the 'Johnny 
rebs' handled their long Enfields. At four o'clock P. M., 
the threatening storm burst out in all the fury of battle, just 
on the extreme right of Logan's Corps, where it sounded like 
the wind roaring through a pine forest. The breeze wafted it 
dismally toward us. On came the wall of fire, nearing us at 
every instant, until it broke in all its violence on our front. 
Here was the rebel right. Their assaulting column reached 
along the whole line of Logan's Corps, and over on to Dodge's 
front far enough to engage Rice's Brigade, which was posted 
in the front line. The rebel forces consisted of Plardee's 
Corps— three divisions. Their men were told that we were 
one-hundred-day men ; and their charge was a desperate one. 
In front of Rice's Brigade (two regiments being in line, the 
2d Iowa and 66th Indiana) there was a brigade of the enemy, 
known as the Kentucky Brigade, consisting of the 2d, 3d, 5th, 
6th, 7th and 9th Kentucky Infontry. They charged in columns 
six lines deep, and, as they neared our works, yelled in that 
unearthly style peculiar to themselves. They were met by 
men who were equal to the emergency. Not a man left the 
works, unless he was wounded. They stood there like a wall 
of iron, their comrades from the reserve carrying ammunition 
to replenish their exhausted supplies. Yet still the rebel hosts 
poured up to the works, those behind being cursed by their 



176 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

officers and rushed up so as to prevent those in front from fall- 
ing back. Thus they continued, hoping against hoi)e, and all 
the time being mowed down like grass by the fire of our brave 
veterans, and the grape and canister of Welker's Battery. 
Pushing forward till they were almost hand-to-hand, they 
continued the deadly struggle for one hour and a half; when, 
completly exhausted, they broke and fled, amid the loud 
huzzas of our splendid fellows. I never wish to know a 
prouder day than that. 

" Our brigade that day fought for the first time behind 
breast-works. Although they had built miles of them, this 
was the first chance to use them. Too much praise can not be 
given to Colonel Rice, who was ever where the danger was the 
thickest, mounted on his magnificent gray. He looked the 
personification of the brave soldier. His example appeared to 
inspire the men : they fought as only the best and bravest of 
soldiers can fight, and never left the works. 

"After the action, I noticed him riding to the different regi- 
ments to ascertain, I suppose, the extent of our casualties. He 
was everywhere met with loud and prolonged cheers ; but he 
modestly attributed it all to them, and kindly thanked them 
for their great bravery. Such men as he are not made of the 
ordinary stuff. Though young in years, he is already a vete- 
ran-hero of nearly a score of battles ; and has, since this cam- 
paign, made a reputation for himself and the brigade he so 
gallantly commands, unequalled by any in this army." 

No one has been a warmer admirer of the gallantry of Gen- 
eral Rice than myself, whenever it has fallen to his lot to meet 
the enemy ; but still I think it hardly just to say that the repu- 
tation of himself or of his brigade was " unequalled by any" 
in that magnificent Army of the Tennessee. The general 
himself would not claim this ; nor would the author, from 
whom I have quoted, on sober reflection. He wrote under the 
inspiration of recent victory. 

General Rice, I believe, most distinguished himself on the 
memorable 22d of July before Atlanta. In that engagement, 
though assaulted by an entire division of Hardee's Corps, he 
held his ground firmly, and inflicted most bitter punishment 



ELLIOTT W. KICE. 177 

upon the enemy. Besides capturing one hundred prisoners of 
war, and six hundred stand of arras, he buried in his front, on 
the morning of the 23d, one hundred and twenty of the ene- 
my's dead, which is evidence that his brigade placed nearly 
one thousand rebels out of battle. 

After General Dodge was wounded before Atlanta, the 
division to which General Rice's brigade was attached was 
assigned to the 15th Army Corps : since that time, the services 
of the general and, I may add, of the 7th Iowa, are the same 
as those of General Logan's command. Marching first in 
pursuit of General Hood back nearly to Dalton, and round 
through Snake Creek Gap, they then returned, and, with the 
other troops, pushed through to Savannah, and thence north, 
through South Carolina and North Carolina to Raleigh. 

The operations of the 7th Iowa in rear of Savannah, are thus 
given by Lieutenant-Colonel Parrott: 

" December 11, moved to the rear, and encamped on Ander- 
son's plantation, where we remained in camp until the 21st, 
keeping up all the time a lively skirmish on the picket line. 
On the night of the 19th, my regiment was ordered to effect a 
Icrossing of the Little Ogechee. The regiment marched to the 
vicinity of the river. Company A, being detailed to carry 
boards for the purpose of crossing sloughs, and Company B to 
kjarry a boat for the purpose of crossing a detachment to recon- 
Inoitre the opposite bank. Major Mahon, with four picked 
men, crossed the river, and from his reconnoissance it was 
found impossible to cross the regiment on account of swamps 
md morasses on the opposite bank. At 12 midnight, the regi- 
nent was ordered back to camp. 

"December 20th was quiet all day. December 21st, reports 
vere in circulation, at an early hour, that the enemy had 
libandoned his stronghold on the Little Ogechee. The brigade 
vas ordered to move to the front, and at 2 P. M. entered the 
ity of Savannah without firing a gun, the enemy having 
nade a hasty retreat." 
The only time I ever saw General Rice was in the summer 

12 



178 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

of 1862, and not long after he had received his colonel's com- 
mission. He was in company with Captain, now Major, I 
Mahon, and on a visit to some friends at Camp Clear Springs, 
Mississippi. He was dressed in a brand-new uniform, and I 
thought him a gallant and handsome looking o£&cer. 

He is a man of middle size, and has a fine form. His com- , 
plexion, and the color of his hair and eyes, are much like I 
those of his late distinguished brother. He is reputed a more i 
brilliant man than was hLs brother, but not so able. His 
neighbors say he has one of those minds that learn from 
observation, rather than from hard study. AVhen he entered 
the service, he was so young that he had had little oi)portunity 
to gain distinction. He has made a brilliant record in the 
army ; and his friends expect that his course in civil lifi' will 
be equally brilliant. 



MAJOR-GENERAL FREDERICK STEELE. 

FIRST COLONEL, EIGHTH INFANTRY. 

i Frederick Steele is a native of Delhi, Delaware county, 
New York, where he was born in the year 1819. He was the 
second regular army officer appointed to a field office from Iowa 
I Entering the West Point Military Academy in the year 1839,' 
! he was regularly graduated in 1843, and appointed a brevet 2d 
lieutenant in the 2d Infantry. He served with General Scott 
I in the Mexican War, and greatly distinguished himself in the 
I battles of Contreras and Chapultepec. He commanded his 
! company at the capture of the City of Mexico, having been 
brevetted 1st lieutenant and captain, on account of gallant con- 
I duct in the two previous engagements. 

j On the declaration of peace, he reported, under orders to 
I General Riley, in California, and was made his assistant adju- 
j tant-general, which position he retained for several years. At 
the outbreak of the war, he was serving in Missouri, and, with 
the 1st Iowa Infantry, fought under General Lyon at the battle 
of Wilson's Creek. Captain Steele was commissioned colonel 
of the 8th Iowa Infantry, on the 23d of September, 1861 ; but 
his connection with this regiment was brief; for, his good 
conduct at Wilson's Creek coming to the ears of the War 
Department, he was, on the 29th of January, 1862, made a 
brigadier-general. If we except the time he served with Sher- 
man around Vicksburg, in the spring and summer of 1863, 
and the time he served under General Canby, at Pensacola and 
around Mobile, in the spring of 1865, General Steele has, at all 
other times, held commands in Missouri and Arkansas. He 
was in command at Helena, Arkansas, in December, 1862, just 

179 



180 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

before joining the expedition under General Sherman, which 
left that point in the latter part of that month for Chicka.saw 
Bayou. On this expedition he commanded the 4th Division, 
13th Army Corps ; and, with two brigades of it, led the attiK-k 
against the bluffs, over the long and narrow causeway that 
iBiids to the Walnut Hills from above the mouth of Chi.kasaw 
Bayou. 

Immediately after this unfortunate affair. General Steele 
sailed with his command up the Arkansas River ; and on the 
night of the 10th of January, 1863, marched to the rear 
of Arkansas Post, through the brushy swamps that were 
well-nigh impassable for infantry, and quite so for the ambu- 
lances and baggage-wagons. It is to the patience and valor 
of General Steele's troops that the country is chiefly 
indebted for the capture of these formidable works. We 
next find General Steele with Sherman, in command of 
his division on the final march against Vicksburg; and, 
after the fall of that city, on the second march against 
Jackson, in command of the 15th Corps. General Sherman 
ai»proached Jackson in three c(»lunuis, (Jeneral Steele's com- 
mand holding the centre, General Ord's the right, and General 
Parke's the left. On this march, "nothing worth recording 
occurred till the head of Steele's column \\ as within six hun- 
dred yards of the enemy's line, on the Clinton road, when 
[July 9th, 8 A. M.] a six-inch rifle-shot warned us to prepare 
for serious work." Indeed, if we except the heedless afl'air of 
General Lauman, who commandt'd a division of General Ord's 
Corps, and the recoimoissance of Colonel, now General Corse, in 
command of the 6th Iowa and other troops, nothing of spinial 
interest occurred, during the eight day's siege of the city. 

On the evacuation of Jackson by General Johnson, and 
after the destruction of the railroads and the rebel government i 
proi>erty in and around the city, Geneml Steele returned to I 



FREDERICK STEELE. 181 

Vicksburg; and, immediately after was appointed to the 
command of the Department and Army of Arkansas. He 
arrived at Helena on the Slst of July, 1863. 

This was his first distinct and important command; and, for 
the manner in which he managed some matters of detail, he 
has been severely criticised. As a fighting-general, he proved 
himself all the loyal North could ask. It was the policy he 
adopted in governing the people of a subjugated district — 
nearly all of them bitter rebels — which lost him much of his 
early popularity ; but, without questioning the wisdom of his 
plans, it is but just to say that, he was doubtless honest in his 
motives. He believed that the speedier way to bring a disaf- 
fected people back to a love of the Union was to treat them 
with kindness. He was right in principle: he only forgot that 
he was dealing with those who were rotten with treason, and 
totally destitute of principle. 

General Steele left Helena for Little Rock, Arkansas, on the 
10th of August, 1863, with an expeditionary army, numbering, 
of all arms, not quite twelve thousand men. On the 10th of 
September following, after forcing the enemy back step by 
step from Clarendon and across the Arkansas, he had 
compelled Generals Price and Marmaduke to evacuate 
Little Rock; and, on the evening of the same day, he 
received the city by formal surrender of the municipal 
authorities. 

His successes were brilliant and, by General Grant, unlooked 
for ; for, on the 12th of September, that general dispatched a 
seventeenth corps' division, (General John E. Smith's) from 
Vicksburg to reinforce him. News of the fall of Little Rock 
reached this division at Helena, and it marched to Chatta- 
nooga. 

By this brief campaign. General Steele had restored to the 
Government nearly the entire State of Arkansas; for the 



182 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

enemy now disputed the possession of only a few counties in 
the south-western part of the State. 

General Steele's next important move, which was made in 
conjunction with a similar one under Major-General N. P. 
Banks, was a failure, though history, I believe, will attribute 
it to no fault of the general. The object of this grand campaign 
was the capture of Shreveport, and the dispersion of the enemy 
in the Red River country, and, had General Banks escaped the 
serious disasters which overwhelmed his command at Sabine 
Cross Roads and Pleasant Hill, the object would doubtless 
have been attained. 

General Steele left Little Rock on the 23d of March, 1864, 
and marching via Benton, Rockport and Arkadelphia, entered 
Camden at sun-down on the 15th of Aj)ril. On this march he 
met and defeated the enemy under Price, Marmaduke, Shelby, 
Cabell and a score or more of others, of the ragged, epauletted 
chivalry, at Terre Noir Creek, Elkin's Ford, Prairie de Anne 
and north-west of Camden. When leaving Little Rock, it 
was doubtless General Steele's intention to march directly on 
Shreveport; for he crossed the Washita at Arkadelphia, and 
was directing his line of march nearly mid-way between 
Washington and Camden. Why did he enter Camden? On 
the 10th, 11th and 12th of April, he engaged the enemy at 
Prairie de Anne, and, from prisoners captured there, or from 
other sources, learned that the advance of Banks had not only 
been checked, but his whole command overwhelmed with 
disaster. The enemy, who at this point wei'e in strong force 
in Steele's front, soon disappeared; and the general was not 
long in discovering that they were marching by a circuitous 
route to occupy Camden, and gain his rear. A race followed 
between himself and the enemy for Camden, which resulted 
in the battle bearing that name. The battle was fought at the 
cross-roads, some seven miles west-north-west of the city. 



FREDERICK STEELE. 183 

Before reaching Camden, General Steele remained incredu- 
lous of the reports of General Bank's defeat; but after his 
arrival there he was convinced of their truth, and contem- 
plated an immediate return to Little Rock. But, a large train 
of supplies reaching him in safety, he persuaded himself that 
he could maintain his position, and accordingly ordered the 
train to return to Pine Bluff for additional supplies. This is 
the train which was captured just north of the Moro Bottom ; 
and this circumstance, some think, saved the balance of his 
army. 

Having learned of the capture of his train, (and he had just 
before lost one sent out on a foraging expedition to Poisoned 
Springs) General Steele prepared for a rapid march back to 
Little Bock, w^here he arrived on the 2d of May. To show 
that fortune favored him, I give the following: After the cap- 
ture of the train above referred to and the command of 
Lieutenant-Colonel Drake of the 36th Iowa, the rebel General 
Fagan was ordered to cross the Saline Biver, and intrench him- 
self fronting Jenkin's Ferry, at which point Steele was to 
cross his army. For some reason, Fagan failed to comply with 
these orders, and, in consequence thereof, was relieved of his 
command and put in arrest. Had he complied with these 
orders, Steele must have surrendered to the rebel forces ; for, 
without any enemy in his front, and after having burned the 
most of his own train, it was with the utmost difficulty he 
effected a crossing. 

After General Steele's return to Little Rock, and during the 
entire time he was retained in command in Arkansas, he did 
little worthy of record. In January, 1865, he was relieved of 
his command, and ordered to report to Major-General Canby, 
at New Orleans. His last services were performed in the 
vicinity of INIobile. He was given a command, stationed at 
Pensacola, Florida, with which he marched against Mobile. 



184 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

He took a prominent part in the capture of Fort Blakely ; but 
a history of this affair will appear elsewhere. 

General Steele is the smallest of the Iowa major-generals, 
or the smallest of the major-generals who have held colonel's 
commissions from the State; for he can hardly be called an 
Iowa man. He has a light complexion, lively, gray eyes, and 
hair, though originally brown, now heavily sprinkled with 
gray. He has a slender, wiry form, and a sharp, shrill voice. 
Nearly all army officers are occasionally profane: I know of 
but few exceptions, and General Steele is not one of them. He 
swears with precision, and with great velocity. 

The general is passionately fond of a fine horse, and, in civil 
life, would be called a horse-jockey. It is reported that his 
horses have more than once appeared on the old race-course at 
Little Rock, where, competing with the steeds of the cavalry 
privates of his command, they have always borne off the 
stakes. The general, in his flannel shirt, would stand by, a 
spectator of the sport, but nothing more. 

General Steele is kind-hearted and humane, and easily 
approached, even by an humble private. It is this same 
kindness of heart, as I am informed, that tempered his rule 
while in command in Arkansas, and made him popular with 
the citizens and camp-followers, and unpopular with many in 
his army. In the field, he is really a fine officer; but he lacks 
firmness, and is unfit for a military governor. That which 
injured him not a little at Little Rock was his lack of judgment 
in selecting his staff officers. In this respect he was very 
unfortunate. 

But he stands high in the confidence of General Grant, which 
is no common recommendation. The general is neat and tidy 
in his dress, and, when on duty, always appears in full uniform. 



COLONEL JAMES LORAINE GEDDES. 

SECOND COLONEL, EIGHTH INFANTRY. 

James L. Geddes, of the 8th Iowa Infantiy, is a Scotchman, 
and was born in the city of Edinburgh, on the 19th day of 
March, 1827. When ten years of age, he emigrated with liis 
family to Canada; but, at the age of eighteen, returned to 
Scotland, and, in the following Winter, embarked for the East 
Indies, where he entered the British Military Academy at 
Calcutta. After studying at that Institution for about two 
years, he enlisted in the British service, and was a member of 
the Royal Horse Artillery. He was connected with the British 
service seven years, and, during that time, served under Sir 
Hugh Gough, Sir Charles Napier, and Sir Colin Campbell. 
Under Gough, he took part in the celebrated Punjaub Cam- 
paign, and with Napier fought in the battle of Kyber Pass. 
He was also engaged under Sir Colin Campbell in the cam- 
paign against the Hill Tribes of the Himalaya. For his 
services in India, he was awarded a medal and clasp. 

After leaving the British service, he returned to Canada 
where, being commissioned by Queen Victoria a colonel of 
cavalry, he organized a cavalry regiment ; but, as he himself 
expressed it, he soon became disgusted, and resigned his com- 
mission. He came to Iowa in the fall of 1857, and purchased 
a farm in Benton county, on which he has since lived. 

In August, 1861, Colonel Geddes enlisted a company in 
Benton county, for the 8th Iowa Infantry, and was commis- 
sioned its captain ; but, on the organization of his regiment, he 
was promoted to the lieutenant-colonelcy, and, with that rank, 
he entered the field. He was promoted to the colonelcy of 

185 



186 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

the 8th Iowa, on the 7th of February, 1862, vice Colonel Steele, 
who had been appointed a brigadier-general. 

The first campaign on which the 8th Iowa InHmtry marched 
was that of General Fremont, from Jefferson City to Spring- 
field. The regiment's first battle was Shiloh. The part it took 
in this engagement is the first point of interest in its history. 
It was attached to the division of General C. F. Smith, which, 
in the absence of that general, was commanded by Wallace. 
The camp of the regiment was, therefore, in rear of the line 
^rst assailed by the enemy. 

Early in the morning of the 6th of April, and soon after the 
enemy opened fire on the divisions of Prentiss and Sherman, 
Colonel Geddes ordered his regiment under arms and formed 
it in lino of battle in front of its camp. In the meantime, the 
firing at the front was increasing rapidly, and the colonel, con- 
vinced that the enemy were advancing in force, ordered the 
baggage to be loaded on the wagons and driven back in the 
direction of the Landing. This done, his regiment was ordered 
to the front. The other regiments of the brigade, which was 
commanded by Colonel Sweeney, of the 52d Illinois, were, on 
the arrival of the 8th Iowa, already in position. Forming his 
regiment on the left of his brigade. Colonel Geddes remained 
in this position for about an hour, in support of a battery in 
his front, and during this time sufiered from a galling fire of 
the enemy's artillery. 

He was now separated from his brigade and ordered to the 
left, and still further to the front : and the position which his 
regiment now took up was in that line, portions of which were 
held so obstinately until about four o'clock in the afternoon. 
The 8th Iowa in this position was the connecting link between 
the division of General Wallace and that portion of General 
Prentiss' which had not stampeded at the first onset of the 



JAMES LORAINE GEDDES. 187 

enemy. On the left of General Prentiss was the division of 
Hurlbut, which had just come into position. It was now 
nearly eleven o'clock, and every thing j^romised well for the 
Federal cause; for the enemy in their first successes had been 
effectually arrested. 

Hardly had the 8th Iowa been aligned and drawn a long 
breath, when it was assaulted by a battalion of the enemy, 
advancing to turn Prentiss' right flank. A most determined 
struggle followed of nearly an hour in length. The enemy, 
flushed with their first successes, which su7'prise as well as their 
valor had contributed to win, would not yield the contest until 
they had left nearly half their number upon the field. The 
8th Iowa held its ground steadily, and, like the 14th Iowa on 
its right, charged and bore down the enemy whenever they 
approached too closely. Finally they retired, after which 
there was a respite of nearly an hour. 

In the meantime General Prentiss had placed a battery in 
position immediately in front of the 8th Iowa, and ordered the 
regiment to hold and defend it at all hazards. It was now 
about one o'clock in the afternoon, the hour when the fiercest 
fighting of the whole day began ; for the enemy had com- 
pleted their reconnoissances, and were advancing at nearly 
every point along the line. The battery placed by General 
Prentiss in front of the 8th Iowa opened upon the advancing 
columns of the enemy, under the direction of the general in 
person, and so accurately and rapidly was it served that it 
soon became to them an object of special attack. " To this end 
[I quote from the statement of Colonel Geddes to Governor 
Kirkwood] they concentrated and hurled column after column 
on my position, charging most gallantly to the very muzzles 
of the guns. Here a struggle commenced for the retention 
and possession of the battery, of a terrific character, their 



188 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

concentrated and well-directed fire decimating my ranks in a 
fearful manner. In this desperate struggle, my regiment lost 
one hundred men in killed and wounded. The conspicuous 
gallantry and coolness of my company commanders, Captains 
Cleaveland, Stubbs and Benson on the left ; Captains McCor- 
mick and Bell in the centre; Captains Kelsey, Geddes and 
Lieutenant Muhs, on the right, by reserving the fire of their 
respective companies until the proper time for its delivery 
with effect, and the determined courage of my men, saved the 
battery from capture ; and I had the satisfaction of sending 
the guns in safety to the rear." 

And thus the conflict raged along the line, but at few points 
with as great fury as in front of the 8th and 14th Iowa. 
Finally, after the struggle had lasted nearly two hours, the 
enemy retired, leaving the troops at this point masters of the 
field. But they had not been equally unsuccessful at other 
points. They had broken the line on the right, and had forced 
back the left and centre of Prentiss' Division and the right of 
Hurlbut's. Heavy volleys of musketry were now heard to 
the left and rear of the 8th Iowa, where Prentiss, having rallied 
his troops, had formed a new line. This line was at nearly 
right angles with his former one, and the enemy were promptly 
engaging him in this new position. At this time, about half- 
past three o'clock, there was no enemy in front of the 8th Iowa, 
or on its immediate left ; but, to conform with Prentiss' new 
line, Colonel Geddes threw back the left of his regiment, and 
dressed it on the right of the 58th Illinois, the right regiment 
of Prentiss' Division. 

The rest is soon told. Prentiss' new line gave way and fled 
in terror to the Landing, and the enemy, meeting with no 
further opposition, swung round to the rear of the 8th Iowa ; 
and thus it was that the regiment was captured. The 58th 



JAMES LORAINE GEDDES. 189 

Illinois stood nobly to the last, and was captured in like man- 
ner. General Prentiss was near these troops, and was also 
made prisoner. It has been asserted by many, that, had all 
the troops at Shiloh fought with the same determination as 
did the 58th Illinois, the 8th Iowa, and the four other Iowa 
regiments on its right, the first day's battle would not have 
been disastrous to our arms. Some have blamed General 
Prentiss for holding his position so long; but, had he aban- 
doned it sooner, who can tell the calamities that might have 
followed; for, with all the delay he and the Iowa troops on his 
right occasioned the enemy, the Federal forces barely escaped 
capture, and the day closed with little hope. 

Of the conduct of Colonel Geddes and his regiment at Shiloh, 
General Prentiss, in his ofiicial report, says: 

"He acted with distinguished courage, coolness and ability. 
His regiment stood unflinchingly up to the work the entire 
portion of the day, during which it acted under my orders." 

The loss of the regiment in this engagement was nearly two 
hundred. Captain Hogin was shot dead early in the day, and 
soon after the regiment took up its position on the right of 
General Prentiss' Division. Captain Palmer was at nearly the 
same time severely wounded. Later in the day, and at the 
time the conflict was going on for the retention of the battery 
in his regiment's front. Colonel Geddes was wounded in the 
leg. Major Anderson was at the same time severely wounded 
in the head. Among those mentioned for special gallantry 
was Lieutenant-Colonel Ferguson, who, throughout the day, 
was reckless in the exposure of his person to the enemy. 

The history of that portion of the 8th Iowa Infantry which 
escaped capture is to be found in the record of the Union Brig- 
ade. This brigade, which was organized immediately after 
the battle of Shiloh, and which retained its organization until 
the 17th of the following December, acted an honorable part in 



190 IOWA COLONELS ^^^ REGIMENTS. 

the battle of Corinth, in the fall of 1862, under the command of 
Lieutenant-Colonel J. P. Coulter of the 12th Iowa Infantry. 
On the morning of the 18th of December, 18G2, the detach- 
ments of the 8th, 12th and 14th Iowa regiments, which had 
served in the Union Brigade for upward of eight months, left 
Corinth, by order of General Dodge, to report at Davenport, 
Iowa, for re-organization in their respective commands. This, 
it will be remembered, was at the time of Forest's raid through 
Tennessee into Kentucky ; and, on the arrival of these troops 
at Jackson, Tennessee, they were ordered by Colonel Lawler, 
Commandant of the Post, to assist in defending the place 
against the threatened attack of the enemy, who were reported 
to be in strong force, and supported by artillery. But Jackson 
was not attacked. The enemy's demonstrations before that 
city were only intended to divert the Federal forces, while 
they in the meantime destroyed the railroad north in the 
direction of Columbus; and this work they effectually accom- 
plished. Forest now fled the State, and Lieutenant-Colonel 
Coulter proceeded with his command to Davenport. 

Subsequently to the re-organization of the 8th Iowa Infantry 
and up to the spring of 1864, the history of the regiment is 
similar to that of the 12th Iowa. It joined General Grant's 
army at Milliken's Bend in the spring of 1863, and was 
assigned to the 3d Brigade, 3d Division, 15th Army Corps, 
which it accompanied in all its long and tedious marches 
through Mississippi. But when that corps left Vicksburg for 
Chattanooga, in the fall of 1863, the 8th Iowa with its division 
was left behind. The regiment remained at Vicksburg until 
the following Winter, when, having re-enlisted, it was sent 
North on veteran furlough. On its return, it was ordered to 
Memphis, since which time it has served under Major-General 
A. J. Smith. 

When Forest made his dash into Memphis, late in August, 



JAMES LOKAINE GEDDES. 191 

1864, the 8th Iowa was stationed in the city on garrison-duty, 
and took an important part in driving out, and dispersing the 
forces of the guerrilla chief. "Sergeants Ostrander, and 
privates A. M. Walling, Charles Smith, I. F. Newman and 
Perry Clark, watched their opportunity, and fired a volley on 
the flank of the enemy, killing the rebel Captain Lundy and 
wounding several others." Lieutenant-Colonel W. B. Bell 
commanded the 8th Iowa in this affiiir ; and, before the enemy 
were dispersed, the regiment suffered severely. Lieutenant 
A. S. Irwin was mortally wounded and died soon after. 
Lieutenants J. A. Boyer and J. S. Tinkham were also 
wounded. Among those mentioned for good conduct, are 
Captain Geddes, and Lieutenants Stearns and Campbell. 

The,8th Iowa has recently and most signally distinguished 
itself, in the operations of General Canby around Mobile. 

The arrival of A. J. Smith's Corps at Barley's Mill on Fish 
Biver, and the march to Spanish Fort and its investment will 
appear elsewhere. The 8th Iowa Inflmtry was attached to this 
Corps, and its position in front of the fort was to the extreme 
right of the Federal line. The brigade to which the regiment 
was attached, was commanded by Colonel Geddes, and the 
division by General E. A. Carr. 

Of Spanish Fort, which is situated on Blakely River, and 
nearly east from Mobile, one who was on the ground writes 

thvis : 

" At Spanish Fort, there were several lines of inferior rifle- 
pits for skirmishers, outside the principal works. A formida- 
ble ditch added to the strength of the position ; the most 
elaborately constructed abattis presented its sharp points to an 
enemy; a line of chevaux defrize intervened between the 
ditch and the abattis ; the trees were felled and laced together 
for an area of many acres around, and the ground everywhere 
was pretty thickly sown with torpedoes. Artillery, of all 
kinds and calibres, bristled along the walls, and three thou- 
sand men with muskets held the interior of the fort." 



192 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

Spanish Fort was crescent-shaped in form, its right and left 
defenses swinging back to near the river. Just at the northern 
extremity of these defenses, a deep ravine puts down to the 
river, dividing the high bluff along its eastern bank. On the 
north-eastern side of this ravine was the brigade of Colonel 
Geddes in position, and, on the opposite one, the northern 
extremity of Spanish Fort. At the mouth of the ravine was 
low bottom-land, not long since covered with dense and 
heavy timber ; but this had all been felled, to enable the rebel 
gun-boats to sweep it from the river. This was the point 
selected from which to carry Spanish Fort. 

In speaking of the charge of the 8th Iowa, which led the 
advance, the same correspondent goes on to say : 

" For nearly an hour and a half the bombardment continued, 
before Colonel Geddes judged it expedient to move; and the 
sun was just sinking below the western horizon when the 
signal to advance was given. Instantly the men of the 8th 
Iowa sprang to their feet, and the company of skirmishers, 
followed by the entire regiment, threw themselves among the 
fallen and matted timbers in the swamp, and urged their way, 
as rapidly as possible, across the mouth of the ravine. A loud 
shout from the rest of the division, as if the whole were about 
to charge, distracted the attention of the enemy, while the bold 
advance of the 8th Iowa seemed to strike him with dismay. 
Such of his men as were posted behind the log breast-work, 
[that which extended from the bluff down across the low 
ground to the river] fired a scattering, hesitating volley, and 
ran for their lives. But from the extreme left of the rebel 
rifle-pits, a heavy fire was poured upon our boys, until the 
foremost of them, mounting the bluff, came full upon the rear 
of the enemy. 

"It was just here that Lieutenant Vineyard, the gallant 
leader of Company G, fell dangerously wounded. Some of his 
men halted a moment where he lay. ' Pay no attention to me,' 
he said; 'move on;' and they did move on. The frightened 
rebels seeing the boys still clambering over the bluff, and not 
knowing what force there might be behind, threw down their 



JAMES LORAINE GEDDES. 193 

arms. Three hundred were made prisoners on the spot. 
Others retreated rapidly toward the centre of the fort, and a 
line of battle was now formed by the enemy to check the fur- 
ther advance of our troops into the fortress. For more than 
three hundred yards, the brave 8th fought its way toward the 
enemy's centre; but it was now dark, and, in obedience to 
orders which they had received, the victorious Hawkeyes 
halted, and hastily constructed a line of rifle-pits." 

! At about eleven o'clock at night, it was learned that the 
enemy were evacuating, when, nearly an hour later, the whole 
Federal line moved against the fort. There was little resist- 
ance made; for nearly all the enemy had left. Of all the 
prisoners captured, there were less than six hundred; but, 
besides large quantities of ammunition, nearly fifty pieces of 
artillery fell into our hands. The 8th Iowa Infantry should be 

i permitted to inscribe on their banner, First at Spanish Fort. 
The troops with which the 8th was brigaded were the 81st, the 
108th and the 124th Illinois. 

Of the scenes inside the fort after its evacuation, the author 
from whom I have quoted goes on to say : 

"For several hours on Monday morning, I wandered about 
over the interior and battlements of the deserted fortress. 
Objects and localities of interest abounded. Here was the 
point where the 8th Iowa effected its entrance ; the swamp 
covered with fallen timbers through which it had clambered; 
the huge ravine whose mouth it had passed; the bluff up 
which it had climbed ; the line of rifle-pits which it had thrown 
up after gaining a lodgment. Here lay a huge columbiad, dis- 
mounted during the bombardment on the 4th. One of the 
heavy iron trunnions was knocked off, and lay beside the gun. 
Down there was the formidable water battery, from which you 
could, with ease, see Mobile and the entire upper part of the 
bay, with all of its rivers and shores and indentations. That 
cabin there, was occupied as the quarters of the general com- 
manding this fort, Randall E. Gibson. Surely, it could have 
been no enviable residence ; for the trees all around it were 
torn to pieces with shot and shell, and the timbers of several 



194 IOWA COLONELS AND BEGIMENTS. 

similar cabins in the immediate vicinity had been shivered 
and splintered by the fiery missiles. 

"Other effects of the terrible bombardment to which the 
fort had ])een subjected were plainly and painfully visible. 
Haversacks and clothing crimsoned with blood were scattered 
over the ground. In several places gory streams had run for a 
considerable distance along the trenches, and the little pools of 
it, which even the thirsty sands had not yet drank up, were 
standing here and there. At other points the life-blood from 
the bosoms of the rebel soldiery along the lines had spurted 
upon the walls, dying them even a deeper red from the head- 
log to the foot of the rampart. Oh, it was a sickening sight! 
Gun-carriages shivered to jiieces ; hundreds of iron fragments 
of missiles which had burst ; solid shot and unexploded shells 
that had been flung from grim-mouthed cannon ; great holes 
in the earth, dug out in an instant by some ponderous projec- 
tile ; immense rents in the earthworks, through which the fiery 
bolts had ploughed their way — all these were every where vis- 
ible. The bombardment of the evening before must have 
indeed possessed every feature calculated to terrify the souls of 
those who lay within the fort. " 

Colonel Geddes is a small, slender man, weighing about one 
hundred and thirty-five pounds. He has thin, sharp features, 
fine, brown hair, and large, hazel eyes. He is active and 
intelligent, and has much general information. As an officer, 
I am told, he was always held in high esteem by his men. He 
has most certainly enjoyed the full confidence of his superiors. 



BRIGADIER-GENERAL WM. VANDEVER. 

FIRST COLONEL, NINTH INFANTRY. 

Of General Vandever's early history I have been able to 
learn but little. I do not even know his native State. I first 
find him at Hock Island, Illinois, where he was employed in a 
news-paper office. Iowa was then a Territory. From Rock 
Island, he removed to Dubuque, and entered the Surveyor- 
Greneral's office at that place. Still later, he studied and prac- 
ticed law in Dubuque. In 1858, he was nominated for Congress 
from the Dubuque District, there being, I am told, no stronger 
man of his party, who would accept the nomination, on 
account of the almost certain prospect of defeat. But the 
general made a good canvass ; and, to the surprise of all, was 
elected. He was distinguished in Congress, for his dignity and 
taciturnity ; two traits, which would embellish the records of 
many, who have worn Congressional honors. 

Mr. Vandever was commissioned colonel of the 9th Iowa 
[nfantry, on the 30th of August, 1861 ; and in the winter of 
1862-3 was made a brigadier-general. As a military man, he 
lias gained less distinction than any other public man who has 
entered the service from Iowa. 

The 9th Iowa Infantry was enlisted principally from the 
counties of Jackson, Dubuque, Buchanan, Jones, Clayton, 
Payette, Bremer, Blackhawk, Winneshiek, Howard and Linn, 
[ts first field of service was Missouri, and its first hard-fought 
aattle, Pea Ridge, Arkansas. At Pea Ridge, the regiment was 
commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel, now Major-General Her- 
ron ; for Colonel Vandever was in command of the brigade to 
which it was attached. In the march from Rolla to Cross 

195 



196 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

Hollows, it had several skirmishes with the enemy, but 
suffered, I think, no loss. From Cross Hollows it marched 
with its brigade on an expedition to Huntsville, Arkansas, an 
account of which is thus given by Colonel Vandever : 

" On the morning of the 4th instant [March 1862] I left Camp 
Halleck, at Cross Hollows, in command of an expedition in 
the direction of Huntsville. The forces consisted of three hun- 
dred and fifty of the 9th Iowa Infantry, one hundred and fifty 
from Colonel Phelps' Missouri Begiment, one battalion from 
the 80th Illinois Cavalry, one section of the Dubuque Battery, 
(light artillery) and one section of Brown's Mountain Howitz- 
ers. We prosecuted the march and arrived at Huntsville at 
noon of the 5th instant, without incident. A portion of the 
enemy's stores was captured at their camp, three miles beyond 
Huntsville, and several prisoners taken. From the prisoners 
I obtained information that the enemy was marching in force 
toward our lines, for the purpose of attack, which information 
I immediately transmitted to head-quarters, and then prepared 
to retrace my steps. I moved out of Huntsville, and camped 
three miles distant. At two o'clock in the morning, I received 
your [General Curtis] orders to return and join the main body 
at Sugar Creek. At three o'clock A. M., I resumed my line of 
march, and, at dusk the same evening, arrived in camp, having 
accomplished a forced march of forty miles in a single day. " 

The next day, the seventh, the severe fighting at Pea Bidge 
opened ; and early in the morning Colonel Vandever marched 
his brigade out in the direction of Elkhorn Tavern. His 
command fought that entire day, on the left of the brigade of 
Colonel Dodge, which, it will be remembered, held the 
extreme right of General Curtis' army. It is stated elsewhere 
that the division of Colonel Carr, to which both Dodge and 
Vandever were attached, did the severest fighting at Pea 
Bidge. In speaking of the conduct of his own regiment in 
this engagement. Colonel Vandever says : 

" Major Coyl of the 9th Iowa acted with distinguished valor, 
until disabled by a severe wound, and compelled, reluctantly, 
to leave the field. Adjutant William Scott also deserves great 



WILLIAM VANDEVER. 197 

praise. Lieutenant Asher Kiley, of Company A, my acting 
assistant adjutant-general, deserves particular mention. Upon 
the fall of Captain Drips and Lieutenant Kelsey, both distin- 
guished for their bravery, Lieutenant Riley gallantly took 
I command, and remained with the company throughout the 
I action. Captain Carpenter and Lieutenant Jones, of Company 
I B, also acted with great bravery, leading their company in the 
face of the enemy, and bringing off one of our disabled pieces 
and a caisson. 

" Captain Towner and Lieutenant Neff, of Company F, were 
conspicuous for their bravery. Both of these officers were 
severely wounded, when the command devolved upon Lieut- 
enant Tisdale, who gallantly led the company through the 
remainder of the action. Captain Bull and Lieutenant Rice of 
• Company C also deserve particular mention, the latter of 
I whom was killed near the close of the day, while the former 
j was severely wounded. Captain Bevins of Company E, was 
i killed upon the field, and the command devolved upon Lieut- 
enant Baker. He acquitted himself with great credit. Cap- 
I tain Washburn and Lieutenants Beebe and Leverich of 
Company G, Lieutenants Crane and McGee of Company D, 
Captain Moore and Lieutenant McKenzie of Company H, 
Captain Carsakaddon and Lieutenant Claflin of Company K, 
and Lieutenant Fellows, commanding Company I, also Lieut- 
enant Inman, were all conspicuous for bravery, under the 
hottest fire of the enemy. Many instances of special gallantry 
occurred among non-commissioned officers and privates. All 
did their duty well. I should also mention Sergeant-Major 
Foster of the 9th Iowa, and other members of the non- 
commissioned staff, who did their duty nobly." 

After nearly a month's rest in the vicinity of the battle- 
ground, Colonel Vandever joined in the march of General 
Curtis across the Ozark Mountains to Batesville. While at 
Batesville, General Steele joined Curtis with a division from 
Pilot Knob ; but here, also, the general lost the commands of 
Davis and Asboth, which were summoned by Halleck to 
Corinth. Early in June, the Army of the South West was 
re-organized into three divisions, commanded by Steele, Carr 



198 IOWA COLONELS AND KEGIMENTS. 

and Osterhaus. Colonel Vandever remained in Carr's Divi- 
sion, and retained the command of his brigade. The hardships 
of Curtis' march from Batesville to Helena, which was made 
in mid-summer, have already been enumerated; but not the 
different points at which the enemy were met: they were 
Searcy Landing, Sillamore, Waddell's Farm, Jeffries' Mills, 
Cashe River Bridge, Stuart's Plantation, Pickett's Farm, 
Grand Glaize and Round Hill. The last was of the most 
importance: less than six hundred defeated two thousand 
Texan Rangers, inflicting on them a loss of more than two 
hundred. 

Colonel Vandever remained at Helena for several months, 
when, being appointed a brigadier-general, he was ordered to 
report to General Curtis at St. Louis, and given a command in 
Central Missouri. In the early part of April, 1863, he com- 
manded the cavalry force, which, leaving Lake Springs, Mis- 
souri, marched against Marmaduke, and drove him from the 
State. It was this command that, at mid-night of the 26th of 
April, charged the enemy's camp on the Dallas road, near 
Jackson, routing the enemy, and afterwards pursuing them to 
St. Francis River. 

General Vandever accompanied General Herron to Vicks- 
burg, in command of one of his brigades ; and, after the fall of 
the city, sailed with him up the Yazoo River to Yazoo City. 
For his services on this expedition, he was thus complimented 
by General Herron : 

" I desire to return my thanks to Brigadier-Generals Vande- 
ver and Orme, my brigade commanders, for their unceasing 
efforts to carry out all my plans, and aid in the success of the 
expedition." 

Since that time, and up to the spring of 1864, General Van- 
dever served in the Department of the Gulf, but during the 
march on Atlanta he was ordered to report to General Sherman 



WILLIAM VANDEVER. 199 

by whom he was assigned a district command with head-quar- 
ters at Rome, Georgia. He retained this command till after 
the fall of Atlanta, when he was ordered to Louisville, and 
assigned to duty on a court-martial. After the fall of Savan- 
nah he reported to General Sherman at that city, and was 
assigned to the command of a brigade in the 14th Corps which 
he commanded till the arrival of the Army of the Tennessee 
at Washington, when he was assigned to the command of the 
2d Division of said corps. This command he accompanied to 
I Louisville. 

During the march from Fayetteville, North Carolina, to 
Goldsboro, General Vandever distinguished himself. The his- 
tory of the march is as follows : 

Crossing Cape Fear River, opposite Fayetteville, on the loth 
of March, General Sherman "ordered Kilpatrick to move up 
the plank road to and beyond Averysboro. He was to be 
followed by four divisions of the left wing, [the 14th and 20th 
Corps] with as few wagons as possible; the rest of the train, 
under escort of the two remaining divisions of that wing, to 
take a shorter and more direct road to Goldsboro. In like 
manner, General Howard [commanding loth and 17th Corps] 
was ordered to send his trains, under good escort, well to 
the right toward Faison's Depot and Goldsboro, and to hold 
four divisions light, ready to go to the aid of the left wing, 
if attacked while in motion. The weather continued very bad, 
and the roads had become a mere quag-mire. Almost every 
foot of it had to be corduroyed to admit the passage of wheels." 

Prosecuting this line of march, the left wing fought the bat- 
tle of Averysboro, and then turned east in the direction of 
Goldsboro; for Hardee had fled, "in a miserable, stormy night, 
over the worst of roads," in the direction of Smithfleld. The 
feint on Raleigh did not deceive Johnson, and Sherman, con- 
trary to his expectations, had to fight the old rebel before 



200 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

reaching Goldsboro. While the left wing was on the march 
through the marshy, timbered bottoms that lie near Benton- 
ville, Johnson, hurrying down from Smithfield, threw himself 
on the front and left flank of Jefiferson C. Davis' Corps, which 
was in the advance. Disaster threatened to overwhelm the 
leading division, and indeed the whole left wing, and Sherman 
became anxious; but the great courage and endurance of the 
troops held the enemy at bay till the right wing was brought 
up. Then, with their left flank and rear threatened, the 
the enemy retired, and Sherman entered Goldsboro. In this 
engagement General Vandever distinguished himself. 

Mr. J. Thompson, a member of the 1st Iowa Cavalry, who 
served for several months under General Vandever, writes 
thus of him : 

"General Vandever is a man of medium hight, dark hair 
and wiry constitution. There is nothing remarkable in his 
features or organization, to impress one with the belief that 
there is any true greatness about him, either as a man or a 
general. He lacks both the will and the energy, but more, the 
ability of a successful leader. The history of his military life 
is a history of the man — tame and unromantic, exhibiting 
nothing striking or remarkable — never sinking below, nor yet 
rising above his chosen level. Such he is as a general, and 
such would be your opinion of him were you to see him." 

From what I have been able to learn of General Vandever, I 
am persuaded Mr. Thompson does him hardly justice. Though 
in no respect brilliant, yet he is a man of good judgment and 
of great perseverance. He is not of a social, communicative 
nature. He minds his own business, and this, I believe, has 
been to his disadvantage in the army ; for rapid promotion has 
depended not less upon hard begging^ than upon hard working, 
especially if the officer in question holds a subordinate posi- 
tion. Can one in any other way account for so many worthless 
field and general officers? 



MAJOR-GENERAL FRANCIS J. HERRON. 

LIEUTEXANT-COLOXEL, NINTH INFANTRY. 

Francis J. Hebron is Iowa's youngest major-general, and 
the second one of that rank appointed from the State. His 
ancestry are ancient and honorable, and, on the paternal side, 
are familiarly known as " Herron's Branch," who, settling in 
Eastern Pennsylvania in the early history of that State, were 
ever classed among her most intelligent and well-to-do yeo- 
manry. On the maternal side of the house, he is descended 
from one of the oldest families of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, 
who settled in that city when it was a mere village, and who 
have maintained an honorable position in the community to 
the present day. The general's uncle, the late James Ander- 
son, ranked with the most benevolent and wealthy citizens of 
Pittsburg. 

The subject of our sketch is a son of the late Colonel John 
Herron, and a native of Pittsburg, where he was born on the 
17th day of February, 1837. He was educated at the Western 
University, in Pittsburg, which was then, and is still, under 
the superintendence of Professor J. M. Smith, a brother-in-law 
of the general. Leaving this University at sixteen, he was 
soon after appointed to a clerkship in a Pittsburg banking- 
house, and, in 1854, became a partner in the banking firm of 
" Herron & Brothers." In 1855, he removed to Iowa, and, in 
connection with one of his brothers, opened a banking-house 
in the city of Dubuque. Dubuque is his present home. 

General Herron began his brilliant military career as cap- 
tain of Company I, 1st Iowa Infantry. He served with his 
regiment in Missouri till the expiration of its term of service, 

201 



202 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

and with it took part in the memorable battle of Wilson's 
Creek. Returning home in the latter part of August, he was, 
on the tenth of the following September, commissioned lieut- 
enant-colonel of the 9th Iowa Infantry. For gallantry at the 
battle of Pea Ridge, (March 6th, 7th and 8th, 1862, where he 
was wounded and taken prisoner) he was made a brigadier- 
general, and, for his courage and superior military skill at the 
battle of Prairie Grove, December 7th, 1862, was promoted to 
his present rank. The battle of Prairie Grove is one of the 
most brilliant of the war — perhaps the most brilliant, when we 
consider the disparity in numbers of the forces engaged ; and 
it was by no means barren in results ; for a well-organized and 
confident army was overwhelmed in defeat, from the effects of 
which it never recovered. 

In the organization of the Army of the Frontier, under 
General Schofield, of date the loth of October, 1862, General 
Herron was put in command of the 3d Division. The 1st and 
2d Divisions were commanded by Generals Blunt and Totten 
respectively. For three weeks previous to the 1st of December, 
1862 and longer, the Army of the Frontier had been watching 
the enemy, who had below, and in the vicinity of the old Pea 
Ridge battle-field, a large and well-organized army, under 
command of the rebel Major-General Thomas C. Hindman. 

On the first of December, General Blunt, who had been hold- 
ing his division on Prairie Creek, near Bentonville, moved 
against a detachment of the enemy, and, driving it from Cane 
Hill, held the position. This was no sooner done, however, 
than the enemy threatened him in heavy force, and compelled 
him to send to General Schofield for reinforcements. General 
Blunt's messenger, arriving at head-quarters near Wilson's 
Creek on the evening of the 8d of December, found General 
Schofield absent, and General Herron in command. "General 
Blunt must have reinforcements or lose his entire command;" 



FRANCIS J. HEREON. 203 

and there was no other alternative; but General Herron, 
under instructions, could afford no relief. The expedient 
which he adopted was worthy of him, and will redound to his 
infinite credit. Disi^atching- a messenger to General Schofield, 
but without awaiting or expecting a reply, he broke camp and 
marched to the rescue. 

At day-light on Sunday morning, the seventh of December, 
his command passed through Fayetteville, Arkansas, and 
halted for breakfast one mile beyond; but before the meal was 
completed, members of the 1st Arkansas Cavalry, which com- 
posed a portion of the advance-guard, came hurrying back 
with word that Hindman's cavalry was upon them. The 
merest incident often controls momentous issues, and so it 
happened here. Major Hubbard, a gallant, positive fellow, 
and an officer of General Herron's stafi", being in command of 
the advance-guard, was captured and taken before the rebel 
general. "How much of a force has General Herron?" 
demanded Hindman. "Enough," replied the major, "to 
annihilate you ; " and this answer, with Herron's determined 
fighting and superior generalship, saved to our arms the battle 
of Prairie Grove; for Hindman, with his twenty thousand, 
dared not move out against the handful of men in his front, 
(net four thousand all told) for fear of being annihilated by an 
overwhelming reserve, marshaled, in his imagination, in the 
heavy timber to our rear. Nor did he learn his mistake till 
late in the afternoon, and just before the guns of General Blunt 
began thundering on his left and rear. 

Having completed their hasty meal, Herron's troops resumed 
the march and pushed vigorously on, till arriving at Illinois 
Creek, about ten miles distant from Fayetteville. There the 
enemy were met in force. They were on the south-west side 
of the creek, and strongly posted on the high ground, which, 
on either side, looks down into the valley through which the 



204 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

road to Cane Hill passes. The situation was no sooner learned 
than Herron had formed his decision. He must bhiff his 
adversary, or lose his command; and this was the plan on 
which the engagement was fought, which, to General Hind- 
man, was a confirmation of Major Hubbard's report. General 
Herron first endeavored to push Battery E, 4th Missouri Light 
Artillery, and the 9th Illinois Infantry across the ford in his 
front ; but that was so accurately covered with the guns of the 
enemy as to make it impossible. The detachment was driven 
back in some confusion. Next, he ordered Colonel Houston to 
cut a road through the timber to the right, and, having gained 
the opposite side with Captain Murphy's Battery, to open on 
the enemy and divert their attention, while he, with the bal- 
ance of his command, pushed across the ford and gained a 
position in front of the enemy. The movement was successful. 
A further account of this battle will be found in the sketch of 
Colonel W. McE. Dye, of the 20th Iowa. I will only add here, 
that Hindman was defeated, and Herron made a major-gen- 
eral. 

It will be interesting to know the names of the troops who 
earned General Herron this promotion. They were the 9th, 
37th, and 94th Illinois, the 19th and 20th Iowa, the 26th IncU- 
ana, and the 20th Wisconsin Infantry regiments, together 
with four Missouri batteries, commanded by Captains Murphy, 
Faust and Backof, and Lieutenant Borries. The 6th, 7th, and 
8th Missouri Cavalry, the 1st Iowa and 10th Illinois, and 
the 1st Battalion of the 2d Wisconsin Cavalry, were all sent 
forward to General Blunt from Elkhorn, and remained with 
his command till the close of the engagement. 

General Herron remained with his command, operating in 
Missouri and Arkansas, till late in the following May, when 
he was summoned to Vicksburg to take part in the reduction 
of that place. Immediately after the fall of the city, he made 



\ 



FRANCIS J. HEBRON. 205 

his expedition up the Yazoo River, after which, he embarked 
his command on transports, and sailed for Port Hudson and 
thence for Carrollton, Louisiana ; where he arrived on the 13th 
of August. Subsequently to that date, the general has served 
principally in the Gulf Department; but the operations in 
which he took part will appear in the sketches of other officers. 

General Herron's Division was attached to Ord's Corps. By 
that general he was held in the highest esteem, as is shown by 
General Order Number 39, dated, " Head-quarters 13th Army 
Corps, Carrollton, Louisiana, September, 25th, 1863." 

During the winter of 1863-4 and for some time after, General 
Herron, while serving in Texas, made his head-quarters at 
Brownsville. It will be remembered that it was during this 
time the forces of M. Ruiz, Governor of Tamaulipas, and those 
of Colonel Cortinas, came in collision in Matamoras. L. 
Pierce, U. S. Consul stationed in that city, became alarmed, 
and sent to General Herron for protection. Colonel Bertram 
of the 20th Wisconsin was at once sent across the river with a 
portion of his regiment, with which he conducted the Consul 
and his property and papers within the Federal lines. Had I 
the space, a further history of this affair would be interesting. 

General Herron's ventilation of the Department of Arkan- 
sas has more recently made his name quite distinguished. 
This was a most thankless mission, and he was charged by 
some with being partial ; but that is not strange. Indeed, we 
are not to suppose the exposer would be more popular with the 
guilty parties than the expose. The result of his investigations 
was published in nearly all the leading papers of the country, 
and convinced all honest men that, the Department of 
Arkansas had been the theatre of most outrageous abuses. 

General Herron has a neat, well-formed person, and dresses 
with much taste. In appearance he is intelligent, and in 
manners agreeable. He has, I am told, some vanity. His 



206 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

marked traits of character are three. He is always cahn and 
composed, no matter how great the danger, or how wild the 
excitement. At Prairie Grove he led the advance over the 
ford of Illinois Creek, and, under the rapid and accurate fire of 
the enemy, was in imminent peril ; but he was perfectly calm, 
and apparently insensible of danger. 

Another marked trait of his character is his taciturnity; and 
yet, if he talks but little, there is nothing about him 
sullen or morose. His voice, which is clear and kind, has a 
sort of charm about it that evidences a warm heart and gene- 
rous nature. He was always popular with the soldiers of his 
command. 

His third and most distinguishing trait— that which more 
than all others has contributed to make him what he is — is a 
self-reliant spirit. This, from his early youth, was always 
noticeable, and was the cause of his leaving the Western Uni- 
versity before mastering the full course of study. It was a 
matter of no consequence to him that his father and his friends 
were opposed to this course. He believed he knew enough to 
make his way in the world, and, because he thought so, all 
remonstrances were unavailing. 

Frank J. Herron was promoted to the rank of brigadier- 
general from that of lieutenant-colonel. He is the only officer 
from the State who has been thus complimented by the War 
Department. 



COLONEL DAVID CARSAKADDON. 

SECOND COLONEL, NINTH INFANTRY. 

Of Colonel Caksakaddon I have been able to learn still less 
than of General Vandever. He is a native of Pennsylvania, 
which is all that I know of his earlier history. He settled in 
Iowa after the year 1850, and at the time of entering the army 
was the proprietor of a livery-stable. He recruited Company 
K, 9th Iowa Infantry, in the summer of 1861, and was mus- 
tered its captain the 24th of September following. On the 
promotion of Colonel Vandever to a general officer, he was 
made colonel of his regiment. 

The history of the 9th Iowa, while under the command of 
Colonel Carsakaddon, need not be given in detail, for it is 
essentially the same as are those of the 4th, 2oth, 2Gth, 30th 
and 31st Iowa regiments. Its loss during the Vicksburg Cani- 
paign was about one hundred and fort5% In the charge of the 
22d of May, 1863, it was in the front, and suffered severely. 
Among the killed in this charge were Captain F. M. Kelsey of 
Company A, and Lieutenants Jacob Jones and Edward Tyrrell. 
Captain T. S. Washburn and Lieutenant E. C. Little were both 
wounded. The former commanded the regiment in the charge. 
He was a gallant officer, and died of his wounds soon after 
reaching his home in Iowa. Lieutenant John Sutherland of 
Company D, was also wounded in the charge of the 22d, and 
Sergeant, afterwards Major, Inman. 

The following incident is deserving of mention: Sergeant 
J. M. Elson, the color-bearer, was shot through both thighs, 
while endeavoring to scale the outer slope of the enemy's 
defenses. The flag fell forward on the enemy's works, where 

207 



208 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

it lay till it was siezed by Lieutenant and Adjutant George 
Granger. Tearing it from the staff, he put it in his bosom and 
brought it from the field. While on the march from Memphis 
to Chattanooga, the regiment lost three men in the affair at 
Cherokee Station. Its loss on Lookout Mountain was one man 
wounded, and at Mission Ridge, seven. In the affair at Ring- 
gold it lost three men killed, and eleven wounded. 

During the winter of 1863-4, the 9th Iowa was stationed near 
Woodville, Alabama, and, in the following spring, marched 
with its brigade and division to the front. It participated in 
the entire Atlanta Campaign, but most distinguished itself on 
the 22d of July, 1864, before the city. An account of general 
movements on these two memorable days may be given with 
interest. We begin with the 21st instant; for the advance to 
and beyond Decatur has been already given. 

The 21st day of July closed with the enemy in their line of 
works, just beyond Decatur, and from which Sherman had 
tried unsuccessfully to force them: it closed with a vigorous 
fire of musketry along the whole line, and with the prospect 
that the enemy would not abandon their position till forced to 
do so. The night following was a magnificent one : the firing 
ceased late in the evening, and, not long after, the moon rose 
in all its splendor, lighting up dimly the scene of the recent 
conflict. Before mid-night, every thing was quiet, with the 
exception of an incessant rattling of wagon-trains and artil- 
lery, away off to the left and front. The sentinels said to each 
other, that Hood was evacuating Atlanta; and they were 
happy in the thought that they were to possess the Gate City 
without further blood-shed ; but they were doomed to wretched 
disappointment. 

When morning broke, no enemy were in view. They had 
abandoned their long line of works, extending from the right 



DAVID CAKSAKADDON. 209 

of General Thomas to near the left of General McPherson ; and 
where, on the 21st instant, they had brought General Sherman 
at bay. An advance was, of course, at once ordered. The line 
of march of the Army of the Tennessee was nearly due west, 
and along and parallel with the Decatur road. Before the 
advance was made, the 16th Corps held the right, and joined 
the 23d ; the loth Corps the centre ; and the 17th the left. After 
the movement was made, and the Army of the Tennessee dis- 
posed in line, the 15th Corps covered the Atlanta and Decatur 
Railroad, leaving the 17th Corps still at its left, and south-east 
of Atlanta. But the lines were shortened so as to crowd the 
16th Corps out ; and at the time the enemy made their assault, 
it was in reserve, in rear of the 15th and 17th Corps. This, as 
subsequent events proved, was most fortunate. 

The enemy had not fled. They were soon discovered in a 
new and strong line of works, not more than a mile and a half 
back from those they had just abandoned. Sherman moved 
up and took position, shortly before twelve o'clock, at noon. 

In this maneuver of his forces, the rebel Hood showed strat- 
exjy. He could count on Sherman's advance in the morning, 
and, having massed a heavy force on his left, he would strike 
him, just after the advance was begun. There were two obsta- 
cles to his success — the tarc^mess of his troops in coming into 
position, and the courage and endurance of the 17th Corps. 
But the 9th Iowa was attached to the 15th Corps, and was not 
less than four miles north of the Federal left, when the Iowa 
Brigade, commanded by Colonel Hall, received the first attack 
of the enemy. 

As soon as the firing commenced on the left, Wood's Divis- 
ion, to which the 9th belonged, was put under arms, and rested 
in line. On the left of Wood's Division was Morgan L. 
Smith's. Separating these two commands was a deep and 



210 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

difficult ravine, along the bottom of which ran a small stream. 
The sides of the ravine were covered with brush and fallen 
timber ; and the banks of the stream, with thick bramble. In 
front of Smith's right, and near the ravine, was a bald knob, 
on wliich the enemy had erected a crescent-shaped work, (now 
vacant) to cover the approaches from the east. West of this 
work and in the direction of Atlanta, the ground was descend- 
ing, and heavily timbered. In front of Wood's right was the 
Howard House, where Sherman was making his head-quarters, 
and where the body of the gallant and lamented McPherson 
was brought, soon after he was killed. I should further state 
that, the position of Wood's and Smith's commands was along 
the line of works the enemy had abandoned the previous 
night : portions of these had already been reversed. 

The attack of the enemy broke with great fury on the left. 
The deep and prolonged roar of musketry, broken, occasion- 
ally, by the booming of artillery, seemed constantly approach- 
ing and increasing. Soon there were other evidences of the 
enemy's success. Aids, with despair in their faces, hurried 
to and from Sherman's head-tiuarters ; and the general 
himself grew anxious and nervous. General officers were 
sent for, or reported without orders; and among them 
were Thomas, Howard, and Logan. General McPherson had 
already been killed in rear of the 17th Corps, and news of the 
calamity brought to Sherman. The ambulance bearing his 
dead body was then approaching the Howard House. 

All this had been witnessed by the right wing of Wood's 
Division, when its attention was suddenly drawn in the oppo- 
site direction. Morgan L. Smith was being attacked by the 
enemy, and not only the smoke of the battle could be seen, 
but the shouts of the combatants distinctly heard. Smith's 
command stood firmly for only a few moments, and then broke 
in confusion, the enemy occupying their works. But these 



I 



DAVID CARS AK ADDON. 211 

successes were only temporary ; and yet, at that instant, with 
its left wing forced back and its centre broken, it looked as 
though the Army of the Tennessee was overwhelmed with 
disaster. In this gallant charge, the enemy captured several 
prisoners, besides De Grass' Battery of twenty-pounder Par- 
rots. This affair took place in plain view of Sherman's head- 
quarters; and, if I am rightly informed, the general was 
himself a witness to it. Wood threw back the left wing of his 
division promptly, so as to confront the advancing enemy. 
Colonel, now General, J. A. Williamson commanded the 
right brigade, the extreme right of which was the pivot on 
which the line turned. Sherman was still present and, after 
the new line was formed, said, "that battery must be re-cap- 
tured." Wood accordingly selected the 2d Brigade, only three 
regiments of which were present— the 4th, 9th and 25th Iowa: 
the 31st Iowa was detached, and at Roswell, doing guard- and 
picket-duty. Between Colonel Williamson and the enemy 
was the ravine of which I have spoken ; for the enemy held 
the works just before occupied by Smith. With the 4th on the 
right, the 9th on the left, and the 25th in reserve. Colonel 
Williamson entered the ravine, and, after having with much 
difficulty worked his way to the opposite slope, shot out on the 
enemy's flank with such impetuosity as to give them little 
time for resistance. The Mh mid dfh Iowa re-captured De 
Grass^ Battery, and turned it again on the foe. A portion of 
the 16th Corps now came up, and claimed a share of the honor ; 
but it was awarded by both Generals Sherman and Wood to 
the 2d Brigade, 1st Division, 15th Army Corps. 

For the part taken by these troops, during the balance of 
this engagement, I refer to the report of Colonel Williamson : 

" Leaving the 9th Iowa in the works, I sent the 4th to the 
right, to occupy a rebel battery which commanded the head of 
a ravine, leading to our line in the only place where there was 



212 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

not a breast-work. The regiment had not more than formed, 
when it was assaulted by a brigade of rebel inftmtry, under 
command of Colonel Backer, and a very stubborn fight ensued; 
but the regiment held its position, and finally repulsed the 
assaults, inflicting great loss on the rebels in killed, wounded, 
and prisoners. 

"The 37th Alabama (rebel) was, according to the statements 
made by prisoners, nearly annihilated in this engagement. 
After the last assault made by the rebels was repulsed, the 
command went to work changing the rebel works and con- 
structing new ones, completing them against day-light. I now 
received orders to move to the left of the IGth Corps, some two 
or three miles to the left of our position." 

In the movement of the 27th instant from the east to the 
west side of Atlanta, the 9th Iowa with its brigade was given 
the post of honor : it covered the rear of its division, in the 
line of marcli. Marching all that day and until about ten 
o'clock at night, it rested on its arms till day-light of the 
28th, and then, in line of battle, moved forward to its new 
position in line. The loss of the 9th Iowa and its brigade 
in this day's fighting was slight, the enemy making their 
desperate assaults on the forces to its right. Among the 
wounded was Colonel Carsakaddon. He was struck by a 
musket-shot in the forehead, receiving a wound very simi- 
lar to that received by General Dodge a few days after. 
Only a portion of Colonel Williamson's Brigade was engaged 
in the battle of the 28th. This brigade was relieved on the 
3d instant, and placed in reserve, the 9th Iowa being sent to 
picket the extreme right. On tlie 13th of August, having 
re-joined its brigade, the regiment took part in assaulting the 
enemy's skirmish line, which resulted in capturing the entire 
force in the pits. 

In the march to Jonesboro, which closed the memorable 
campaign, the 9th Iowa took part. It reached the Montgom- 
ery Railroad in the forenoon of the 28th of August, where it 



DAVID CARSAKADDON. 213 

remained with its brigade one day, destroying the road, and 
then marched to within one mile north of Jonesboro. While 
lying before Jonesboro on the 31st instant, the enemy made a 
desperate assault on the 1st Division; and the part which a 
portion of the 9th took in repelling this assault is thus given 
by the brigade commander : 

"During the assault, four companies of the 9th Iowa, under 
Captain McSweeny, went forward and took a position in an 
interval between the right of the 4th Division and the left of 
the 3d Brigade, where there were no intrenchments, and, while 
the battle continued, succeeded in throwing up temporary 
works, which enabled them to hold the position." 

The loss of the 2d Brigade in the Atlanta Campaign (and the 
4th and 9th Iowa suffered the most severely) was two hundred 
and eighty. 

An account of the march from Atlanta to Savannah, and 
thence, through the swamps of South Carolina to Goldsboro 
and Raleigh, will be found in the sketch of Colonel William 
Smytli, 31st Iowa. After the fall of Atlanta, the 30th Iowa 
was attached to the loth Corps' Iowa Brigade, and the brigade 
itself changed from the 2d to the 3d. On the march from 
Savannah to Goldsboro, the brigade was commanded by Colo- 
nel George A. Stone of the 25th Iowa, and met the enemy at 
three different points on the line of march. Of the part taken 
by the 4th and 9th Iowa on the Little Congaree Creek, near 
Columbia, South Carolina, Colonel Stone says : 

" I was ordered to form in two lines of battle, two regiments 
front, and the other regiment (the 4th Iowa) to cover the front 
as skirmishers, and to move forward to eflFect a crossing of the 
Little Congaree Creek, if possible. Immediately in front of the 
4th Iowa was a swamp about waist-deep, and some three hun- 
dred yards wide. The regiment did not falter at this obstacle, 
but gallantly plunged in, led by its commanding officer, Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Nichols. We were now about five hundred 
yards above the position held by the rebels on Little Congaree 
Creek ; but a branch of that same stream intervened between 



214 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

US and the crock itself. It was discovered our position flanked 
an out-post of tlie enemy on the same side of the streiuu we 
were on, and three companies of the 4th Iowa and four compa- 
nies of the 9th Iowa were ordered to attack this out-post. 
Major Anderson of tlie 4th Iowa commanded tlie skirmishers 
making the attack, and Captain Bowman of the 9th com- 
manded the reserve. The attack was made with great vigor, 
and was entirely successful. The enemy could not withstand 
the impetuosity of the skirmishers, and broke, after a few 
minutes' fighting, to the opposite side of the creek. I now 
ordered my command forward to the branch of the Little Con- 
garee, separating us from the main creek, and with the 4th 
Iowa went about three-fourths of a mile up the creek, to a 
point beyond the enemy's right flank, and in their rear. Here 
I ordered the 4th Iowa to cross on a log as quickly as possible, 
intending, as soon as that regiment had crossed, to support it 
with two others, and attack the enemy from the rear." 

But the movement was discovered, and the enemy retired. 

On the marcli through the Carolinas, the 9th Iowa was com- 
manded by Lieutenant-Colonel Abernethy, a most excellent 
ofiicer. He is a brother of the late Lieutenant-Colonel John 
Abernethy of the 3d Iowa, who was killed on tlic i^2d i)f July, 
before Atlanta. Both entered the service as first sergeants, and 
rose to the rank of lieutenant-colonel. 

After Colonel Carsakaddon was woundi'd on the Listh of July, 
he received leave of absence and came North, lie did not 
re-join his regiment till after its arrival at Savannah, Georgia, 
and, before it left that i)(»int on its final canii>aign, he tendered 
his resignation. 

The colonel is a short, stocky man, Milh black hair and 
eyes, and lias the appearance of much energy and determi- 
nation. I am told lie is a good sample of a \\'es(erii man — 
unpretending and practical, l>ul ra(lii-r illittrate. He was a 
l)rave man, and a gallant oMicer; ami then' are few of his old 
regiment, wIiocIk not entertain for him the greatest good-will 
and allectiou. 



COLONEL NICHOLAS PERCZEL. 

FIRST COLONEL, TENTH INFANTRY. 

Nicholas Pekczel is a native of Hungary, where he was 
born in the year 1813. He has a military education, and passed 
a nunil)er of years in active service, before coming to this 
country. For, several years, he has been a resident of Daven- 
port, Iowa, where he has been engaged in the business of 
mercliaiit and trader. He was made colonel of the 10th Iowa 
Infantry, on the 1st day of September, 18G1, and held that 
position till the 1st of November, 18G2, when he resigned his 
commission. 

Authority to recruit the 10th Iowa Infantry was granted by 
the War Department to J. C. Bennett, in July, 1861. Mr. 
Bennett was afterward major of the regiment. He, aided by 
F. M. Mills, Esq., of Des Moines, a brother of the late Colonel 
Mills of the 2d Iowa, had nearly completed the regiment's 
enlistment, when it was ordered to rendezvous at Iowa City. 
The manner in which the regiment was officered created con- 
siderable dissatisfaction; but this will not be matter of interest, 
either to the old members of the regiment, or to the public. 

Colonel Perczel first served with the 10th Iowa in Missouri. 
He was engaged in the skirmish near Charleston, on the morn- 
ing of the Gth of January, 1862, his loss being eight killed, and 
sixteen wounded. These were the first men the 10th Iowa lost 
in battle. The colonel was also present at the capture of New 
Madrid, and Island No. 10 ; and with his regiment formed a 
part of the force which, at Tiptonville, captured five thousand 
of the enemy. After operations were completed in this direc- 
tion, the 10th Iowa sailed with the command of General Pope 

215 



216 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

to Hamburg Landing, on the Tennessee, and served with that 
general during the siege of Corinth, on the left of the besieging 
army. 

Colonel Perczel commanded a brigade before Corinth, two 
regiments of which were his own and the 17th Iowa; and 
during the siege of that city was engaged in two important 
reconnoissances and skirmishes. The first of these was made 
on the afternoon of the 2Gth of May, witli a force consisting of 
the 10th Iowa, and four pieces of artillery. With the enemy, 
this skirmish assumed the importance of an engagement ; for, 
saying nothing of his wounded, he admitted a loss of one 
hundred and twenty-five in killed. The 10th Iowa, the only 
troops on our side that suffered loss, had only eight men 
wounded. The losses were so disproportionate as to give the 
above statement an air of improbability ; but its truth is well 
vouched for. 

On the morning of the 2Sth of May, two days later, the 17th 
Iowa and the 10th Missouri of the same brigade had a skirmish 
with the enemy, in which the losses were nearly as dispropor- 
tionate. These troops were sent out under the immediate 
command of Colonel Holmes of the 10th Missouri ; and mov- 
ing against the enemy's extreme right, which was held by the 
commands of Price and Van Dorn, came within musket-range 
of the two strong forts on the hills to the south of the Memphis 
and Charleston Railroad. The enemy supposed they were 
being attacked in force, and came swarming out of their works 
and down the steep hills to oppose the advance; while their 
pickets, skirmishers and reserves, hurried with greater haste 
in the opposite direction. Corinth was evacuated that night, 
and, on passing over the ground the next morning, where the 
skirmish took place, ninety-three new graves were counted. 
The Union loss in this encounter was about thirty in killed and 
wounded. 



NICHOLAS PERCZEL. 217 

On the fall of Corinth and the hasty retreat of the enemy, 
the division of General Schuyler Hamilton, to which Colonel 
Perczel's Brigade was attached, followed in pursuit, and 
marched as far south as Boonville, on the Mobile and Ohio 
Bailroad. The route from Corinth lay through the heavily- 
timbered swamps, which form the head-waters of the Tombig- 
bee Kiver, and which would be, at any season of the year, 
difficult of passage to a large army with baggage-trains and 
i artillery. There was but little fighting ; but, one day of the 
I march it rained incessantly, which rendered the corduroy 
roads almost impassable. Add to this the fact that the army 
; had for a long time been lying before Corinth inactive, and the 
i hardships and fatigue of the march can be imagined. One 
j scene on the road, at a point some six miles north of Boon- 
• ville, will never be forgotten by those troops who, on the night 
of the 2d of June, ascended from the swamps to the up-lands, 
near mid-night. On an open, even, but gradually-sloping field, 
containing not less than two thousand acres, and facing the 
Corinth road to the north-east, just in front of where it rises 
from the bottom-lands and turns to the left, were encamped 
nearly two entire divisions. The previous afternoon had been 
rainy, and the soldiers, cold and wet, had built large and bril- 
liant camp-fires throughout their entire encampment. The 
sky was still hung with dark, heavy clouds, which, as viewed 
from the point in the road above mentioned, formed the back- 
ground of this magnificent scenery — the grandest I ever 
witnessed. It was literally a city of fire, and was ample com- 
pensation for the slippery, hazardous, mid-night-march over 
the never-to-be-forgotten one-mile-of corduroy. 

Pursuit was made to a few miles south of Boonville ; but the 
enemy, with the exception of some hundreds of stragglers and 
deserters, had made good his escape with his shattered legions. 
To pursue further would so extend the line of communications 



218 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

as to imperil a safe return ; and a " right about " was therefore 
ordered to Corinth. Returning to the vicinity of Corinth, the 
the 10th Iowa went into camp at Clear Springs, a place three 
and a half miles south of Corinth, and so called from the 
beautiful, translucent springs which gush out from the foot of 
the hills, on which the camp was made. The regiment 
remained here and at Jacinto, the county-seat of Tishamingo 
county, and some twenty miles south of Corinth, till the 18th 
of the following September ; when, with the balance of Gen- 
eral Rosecrans' command, it was ordered out to engage the 
forces of General Price, then supposed to be intrenching 
themselves near luka. In this heedless, blundering fight, the 
10th Iowa held the left of its brigade, and, like the other regi- 
ments of its brigade, suffered severely. 

The pursuit of the enemy in his hasty retreat on the 
morning of the 20th, and the bloody battle at Corinth on the 
3d and 4th of the following October, and subsequent pursuit of 
the rebel forces to and beyond the Hatchie, form the next 
chapter in the history of this regiment. With the close of 
these operations also closed the colonelcy of Nicholas Perczel ; 
for, as has already been stated, he resigned his commission on 
the first of the following November. 

He had in the meantime been recommended for promotion 
to brigadier-general, but for some reason was not appointed by 
the President. 

Among the officers of the 10th Iowa with whom I became 
acquainted early in the regiment's history, were Major, after- 
wards Lieutenant-Colonel Nathaniel McCalla, Captain Albert 
Stoddard and Lieutenant and Adjutant John Delahoyd; and 
I hope that, in giving their names special mention, I shall do 
no injustice to otlier officers of the regiment equally deserving. 
I never met Major McCalla without thinking of an old Roman 
lieutenant. He is rough in exterior and in manners, and as 



NICHOLAS PEECZEL. 219 

gallant and generous as rough. Captain Stoddard is a hand- 
some and most genial fellow, and was, in the spring and 
summer of 1863, Judge- Advocate of the old 7th Division. In 
i the hour of battle, and at the convivial board, he always took 
I his place in the front. Lieutenant John Delahoyd was one 
of the most reckless aids and adjutant-generals that ever 
I carried a dispatch in the face of the enemy. He distinguished 
; himself at Corinth. Having ridden out with the 17th Iowa 
I to assign it a position, he put the regiment under a terrific 
I fire of grape and canister, and then, directing it to lie down, 
sat and watched the enemy from his horse. Whenever the 
enemy were about to fire, he would say: "Lay low, Seven- 
teenth." It is a wonder how he escaped being killed. He 
was General Sullivan's adjutant-general, and was one of the 
most popular ofiicers of the brigade. 

During the siege of Corinth, (I believe it was on the 22d of 
May) and while his brigade was encamped near Farmington, 
an incident occurred which the colonel will never forget. That 
morning a company of the 3d Michigan Cavalry, which, like 
all the troops before Corinth, had seen but little service, was 
stationed beyond the picket-line, as vedettes on the extreme 
left. And I should add further that, an attack from this direc- 
tion was being anticipated, and the extreme left wing, by 
reliefs, was engaged in digging rifle-pits, and in cutting the 
timber which would form a cover for the approach of the 
enemy, and obstruct the range of the artillery. All was quiet, 
and the work was steadily progressing, until about two o'clock 
in the afternoon, when, instantly, a cry of alarm was heard in 
the direction of the enemy, and, turning the eye down the 
road, a cavalry-man was seen coming at the top of his speed, 
standing upright in his saddle, and whirling his drawn sword 
about his head in the wildest manner. In an instant he had 
passed, shouting in a frantic, broken voice, "The enemy are 



220 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

coming against the left in force ! The enemy are coming against 
the left in force!" All were instantly under arms, and, with 
breathless determination, stood waiting the approach of the 
enemy. The guns of the 6th Wisconsin Battery, hurriedly 
charged with canister, were turned in the direction of the 
threatened attack, when Colonel Perczel, riding down the road 
and out through a large, open field to the right, suddenly 
saw — that he was sold. The captain of the 3d Michigan Cav- 
alry had been frightened at the approach of one of our own 
scouting parties. Colonel Perczel was chief in command, and 
felt the sell most keenly; but he only said: "Whare es dat 
cap'n ob de Third (?) Mee-che-gan Cabalry, wat run widout 
firing one gun?" 

Colonel Perczel is about six feet in hight, and both slender 
and erect. He has a lively, gray eye, and, in the service, wore 
a long, heavy, gray beard. Naturally he is excitable, but 
in danger was cool and brave, and was greatly loved by his 
command. He knew his merit as a military man, and was 
chagrined at being placed under the command of officers who 
were not only his inferiors in military knowledge, but who 
would get beastly drunk on duty. To escape this unpleasant 
situation, I am advised, was the chief cause of his leaving the 
service. The general, whona he most despised, died late in 
1862, at Corinth, of mania apoiu. 



COLONEL WILLIAM E. SMALL. 

SECOND COLONEL, TENTH INPWNTRY. 

William E. Small, the successor of Nicholas Perczel to 
the colonelcy of the 10th Iowa Infantry, is a native of the State 
of Maine. At the time of entering the service, in September, 
1861, he was a resident of Iowa City, and a practicing lawyer. 
He was commissioned lieutenant-colonel of tlie 10th Iowa 
Infantry, the 10th of September, 1861 ; and with this rank 
served till the second of November, 1862, when, Colonel 
Perczel resigning, he was promoted to the colonelcy of the 
regiment. 

During his colonelcy, as also from the time of its organiza- 
tion, the 10th Iowa Infantry has a proud and interesting 
history. From the second of Noveml>er, 1862, till after the 
fall of Vicksburg, the time of Colonel Small's discharge, this 
regiment was always at the front; and, if there was any fight- 
j ing to be done, like the other Iowa regiments of the 7th Divis- 
ion, 17th Army Corps, the 10th was sure to have part in it. 
Late in November, 1862, the 10th Iowa joined its division in 
I the march of General Grant down the Mobile and Ghio Rail- 
road. Piissing through Abbeville and Oxford, it had reached a 
point as far south as the Yockona River, when, the line of 
j communications being cut, it was ordered to return. On the 
I 26th of December, it marched with its division from near 
' Lumpkin's Mills, Mississippi, to Memphis, having in charge a 
provision-train of six hundred and twenty-five wagons ; and 
this was one of the most vexing and fatiguing marches the 
regiment ever made. It was the coldest part of the Southern 
Winter, and the trip was made without baggage, or only such 

221 



222 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

as the men could carry on their persons. A cold, sleety rain 
was falling almost constantly, and the red, clayey mud, the 
dirtiest and daubiest in the world, was half-knee deep. Hang- 
ing on their flanks and rear was a band of guerrillas, ready to 
pick up the stragglers, and to fire into the train whenever 
occasion offered. Usually, men are merry on the march ; but, 
without rest by day or sleep at night, there was little merri- 
ment here. For so short a one, this is regarded the hardest 
march the old 7th Division ever made. 

After this march was completed, the balance of the winter 
of 18G2-3 the 10th Iowa passed on the Memphis and Charles- 
ton Railroad; but, in the opening Spring, moved down the 
Mississippi to Helena. Prior to the 22d of March following, 
the operations of the division are detailed elsewhere ; and the 
history of the division is the same as that of this regiment. 
On the evening of the last named date, the 10th Iowa sailed 
into the mouth of the Yazoo Pass, which opens into the 
Mississippi on its east side, and eight miles below Helena. 
This was a most wonderful expedition, and, had it not been a 
military movement, would have been romantic. For the 
labor and skill employed in opening this pass, and in clearing 
it of obstructions. General Grant was chiefly indebted to Iowa 
troops under General Washburn. For more than a week, the 
24th, 28th, and 33d Iowa regiments were kept half-leg deep in 
mud and water, hauling out the timber, which the enemy had 
felled for purposes of obstruction. 

The object of the Yazoo Pass Expedition was a flank move- 
ment on Vicksburg, but it ended, as it begun, in strategy. This 
was one of the forty-three plans, which General Grant had 
pocketed for the reduction of Vicksburg. The story is as 
follows, but I do not vouch for its truth : A Federal soldier 
was captured on the Deer Creek raid, and taken before a rebel 
officer, when the following colloquy occurred: "What in the 



WILLIAM E. SMALL. 223 

devil is Grant in here for ? what does he expect to do? " "To 
take Vicksburg," was the soldier's reply. " "Well, hasn't the 
old fool tried this ditching and flanking five times already?" 
"Yes," said the soldier, " bnt he has got thirty-seven more 
plans in his pocket." 
From the mouth of this pass to Moon Lake, (so named from 
j its crescent shape) the distance is five miles, and was passed 
' over without much trouble ; but, for forty miles after leaving 
Moon Lake, it was literally a boat-ride in the forest ; for the 
stream was so winding that its course could rarely be seen 
more than forty yards in advance. It seemed to have no 
outlet; and gigantic trees, on every hand, challenged an 
advance. Small stern-wheel boats could only be used, and 
even these were found to be unwieldy. The force of the 
current which put in from the swollen waters of the Missis- 
sippi was prodigious; and the danger was in going too fast. 
Until the boats reached the Cold Water, their engines had to 
be kept reversed ; and so it happened that this was called by 
the soldiers "the back-water expedition." Even with all the 
care that was used, the boats were stripped of every thing that 
was fancy, and of much that was substantial. Not a smoke- 
stack in the whole fleet was able to weather the storm ; and 
whole state-rooms were raked off" by projecting limbs, into 
whose ugly embrace the boats would rush, in spite of the 
pilots and engineers ; and, I may add, in spite of from twenty 
to fifty soldiers, aligned on the decks and armed with long 
poles. 

But in spite of all these dangers, the expedition did not lack 
amusement ; for instance : a tall, awkward fellow, (he did not 
belong to the 10th) while standing on the hurricane deck of the 
Lady Pike, was watching a large sycamore limb, which a spar 
of the boat was pushing aside. He was wondering if it would 
not break ; when just then it slipped by the spar, and, taking 



224 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

him across the face, knocked him several feet, and came near 
dropping him into the stream. He carried a " stiff upper-lip," 
if not a brave heart, till the expedition returned. History 
may, if it will, omit to mention this expedition ; for it has 
furnished itself a record that will be read many years hence. 
On the trees, at nearly every bend in this stream, the name of 
some soldier is literally "recorded on high," and nearly every 
regiment in Quimby's and Ross' Divisions is thus represented. 
For nearly every boat of the fleet was caught at some one of 
these bends, and before it could be released the enterprising 
soldiers would carve their names on pieces of broken cracker- 
boxes, and nail these to the limbs. When the expedition 
returned, the water in the pass had fallen many feet, leaving 
these inscriptions high in the air ; and there they still hang. 

There was one feature of this expedition, which, though 
interesting, lacked amusement; though it was experienced 
only on the Tallahatchie River and the lower waters of the 
Cold Water. The banks of these streams are covered, mostly, 
with timber and thick under-brush, forming fine places of 
concealment for guerrillas. We were in the enemy's country 
and, acquainted with their chivalric mode of warfare, were 
looking for it to be put in practice; yet, when the first guerrilla 
gun was fired, it was all unexpected. Standing on the hurri- 
cane-deck, you would see in the brush near a fallen log, or the 
trunk of a standing tree, a blue circling puff of smoke, and then 
hear the pat or sharp whistle of a bullet. The report of the gun 
would follow, when all hands would dodge. In spite of the 
anticipation of seeing the thing repeated, the men would laugh 
at their folly, and remark, "that shows what a little noise 
will do." 

On the Gth of April, the last of the fleet arrived above Fort 
Pemberton, at the junction of the Tallahatchie and Yallabusha 
Rivers; and a fight was expected the day after; but either 



WILLIAM E. SMALL. 225 

General Grant had accomplished all he expected to in this 
direction, or had learned he could accomplish nothing, and the 
entire fleet was ordered to return. The last boat, in a damaged 
condition, arrived at the Sand Bar below Helena, at noon on 
the 12th of April; and, should one return from Hades, he could 
be little more surprised at his safe arrival on terra firma, than 
were many who sailed on the celebrated Yazoo Pass Expe- 
dition. 

In this connection, I desire to speak of a good man, who 
rendered important services on this expedition, and who after- 
wards died at Fort Sumner, New Mexico. Captain Robert 
Lusby of the 10th Iowa, and, at the time of his death, 
adjutant-general to General Crocker, was a noble man and 
officer. 

Next in the history of the 10th Iowa, is the final Vicksburg 
Campaign. During this celebrated march, Ihe details of which 
are given elsewhere, the regiment met the enemy at the battles 
of Jackson, and Champion's Hill. In the last of these engage- 
ments, it greatly distinguished itself, and suffered severely, as 
also did the regiments of the 3d Brigade, commanded by the 
gallant little Boomer, The 5th and 10th Iowa, the 26th Mis- 
souri and 93d Illinois, deserve a proud place in the history of 
our civil war. On the 19th of May, the 10th Iowa arrived 
before the rebel works, in rear of Vicksburg ; and, from that 
day till the 4 h of July following, the day of General Grant's 
triumphal entry into the city, did its full share of duty. With 
its brigade, it join d in the memorable charge of the 22d of 
May ; and, under General McClernand, to whom the brigade 
had been ordered to report, was preparing to assault the right 
of the enemy's works, when Colonel Boomer fell, shot through 
the head. He was killed at sun-down, and near the crest of a 
hill within two hundred yards of the enemy's line. Colonel 
Boomer was a native of Massachusetts, and a brave and gallant 



226 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

officer. The confusion, incident to the loss of the brigade 
commander, created some delay, and, before an advance was 
made, orders were received to withdraw to a position behind 
the second line of hills. On the 24th of May, the 3d Brigade 
reported back to its division, whose position in the line was to 
the left of the centre, and about half a mile south of the rebel 
Fort Hill ; and here the 10th Iowa remained till the surrender 
of Vicksburg. 

Immediately after the fall of Vicksburg, the brigade of Gen- 
eral Matthies, to which the 10th Iowa was attached, (for after 
the death of Boomer he had been transferred to this command) 
joined the command of General Sherman, in the pursuit of the 
rebel forces under General Johnson. The brigade arrived 
before Jackson on the evening of the 14th of July, having 
marched from Clinton; but had hardly stacked arms, when 
orders were received to march back to Clinton, to anticipate 
the rebel General Jackson in his cavalry-raid upon Sherman's 
train. General Matthies arrived in Clinton late that night, 
and just in time to meet and repulse one brigade of Jackson's 
cavalry, the only rebel troops sent to that point. For this gal- 
lant aiTair, the 10th Iowa, with the balance of the troops of the 
brigade, was handsomely complimented by General Sherman. 

The principal portion of the time covered by these opera- 
tions, Colonel Small was absent from his regiment: indeed, he 
was never with it much, and, if I am rightly informed, was 
never present in an engagement. His military record is not in 
keeping with that of his gallant regiment. He was a fine drill- 
master, which was his chief merit as a soldier. 

In person, Colonel Small is below the medium. He has a 
nervous temperament, a pale, sickly countenance, and a feeble 
constitution. In his manners, I am told, he is dignified and 
sedate. 



COLONEL PARIS PERRIN HENDERSON. 

THIRD COLONEL, TENTH INFANTRY. 

Paris P. Henderson was born at Liberty, Union county , 
Indiana, on the 3d day of January, 1825. He was educated at 
I the Common Schools of his native town, where he resided 
till he reached his eighteenth year. At eighteen, he learned 
the tanner's and currier's trade in Vermillion county, Illinois. 
He settled in AVarren county, Iowa, in the fall of 1847, and 
two years later was appointed organizing-sheriff of that 
I county. In August, 1851, he was elected County Judge of 
] his county, which office he held for three consecutive terms. 
I In the fall of 1859, he was elected to the State Senate, and was 
I the Senator of Warren county at the outbreak of the war. 
In September, 18G1, Mr. Henderson was commissioned cap- 
tain of Company G, 10th Iowa Infentry, which he had enlisted 
in Warren county. On the 27th of January, 18G3, he was pro- 
I moted to the lieutenant-colonelcy, and, on the 18th of the 
I following August, to the colonelcy of the 10th Iowa Infantry. 
On the arrival of General Sherman at Savannah, in his grand 
I march from Atlanta to the sea. Colonel Henderson resigned 
I his commission, having served three years and nearly three 
I months. The military history of Colonel Henderson reflects 
on him much credit: it is the same as that of his regiment; for, 
from the time of his entering the service until the date of his 
leaving it, he was present with it. Even during the greater 
part of the time of his lieutenant-colonelcy, he commanded it ; 
for Colonel Small was sick and absent. 

Early in September, 1863, the 10th Iowa Infantry, v/hich 
was then in camp at Vicksburg, left with its division for the 

227 



228 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

purpose of reinforcing General Steele, tlien marcliing on Little , 
Rock ; but, news coming of the fall of Little Rock on the arri- 
val of the division at Helena, it remained in camp at that 
place, awaiting transports in which to return to Vicksburg. . 
In the meantime, General Sherman's old Corps had been 
ordered to report at Chattanooga. The march from Memphis 
commenced about the middle of October. Why, I do not 
know, but for some reason the 7th Division of the 17th Corps 
was separated from its command, and ordered to join General 
Sherman in this march. There were many other troops, who 
for a long time had done little, and who, in fairness, should 
have been selected for this arduous campaign. It was sup- 
posed by the division that the mettle of which it had shown 
itself possessed, on so many battle-fields, had determined the 
commanding general in this choice; for General Grant was 
once reported to have said: — "One knows just what he can 
do with that division." In justice to the veteran troops of 
this command, these facts should be stated ; for they should 
receive the credit due to their gallant services. And here, 
although not in strict keeping with my plan, I yield to what 
I know would be the earnest wish of the regiment whose his- 
tory I am recording, and append the names of the regiments 
which constituted this noble command. In the First Brigade 
were the 4th Minnesota, the 48th and 59th Indiana, the 18th 
Wisconsin, and the 63d Illinois. In the Second Brigade were 
the 10th Missouri, the 17th Iowa, the 5Gth Illinois, and the 80th 
Ohio. In the 3d Brigade were the 5th and 10th Iowa, the 2Gth 
Missouri, and the 93d Illinois. In our groat National struggle 
there has been no more worthy or potent representative from 
the great North West than the 7th Division, 17th Army Corps. 
Moving up the river from Helena to Memphis, the 10th Iowa 
left that city early in October, and proceeded by rail as far as 



PARIS PERRIN HENDERSON. 229 

Glendale, Mississippi, nine miles east of Corinth. From that 
point the regiment marched to Chattanooga, by way of Dixon's 
j Station; Chickasaw Landing, on the Tennessee Kiver ; Florence, 
I Alabama, Rogersville, Prospect Station, on the Nashville and 
! Decatur Railroad; Fayetteville, Winchester, Decherd and 
Bridgeport. The Tennessee River, at Chickasaw Landing, 
was crossed on the night of the 30th of October, and, in tho 
j evening of the 19th of November, the 10th Iowa, with its divi- 
sion, arrived under Lookout Mountain. The night of the 30th 
of October, 1863, was stormy and dismal, which not only ren- 
dered the crossing of the Tennessee disagreeable, but soured 

the tempers of all. General , in command of the division, 

superintended the crossing of his troops, and, like every one 
else, was irritable. On one occasion, while his boat was 
approaching the south bank of the river, the detail on shore 
had left their post, and no one chanced to be at hand but a 
lieutenant, the son of a Congressman. The hawser being 

thrown ashore and no one there to receive it, General 

cried out, "Take hold of that rope, sir." "I am a lieutenant, 

and the son of Congressman ." "Don't care a d — n, take 

hold of that rope." But the lieutenant was relieved by the 
detail, who at that instant came up. 

I have said that the 10th Iowa, with its division, arrived at 
the foot of Lookout Mountain in the evening of the 19th of 
November. The head of the division arrived in Lookout Val- 
ley just before night-fall, and no sooner was it seen by the 
enemy, than he commenced displaying his signal-lights. 
Bragg knew that General Grant was receiving reinforcements, 
but the number he could not tell, for darkness intervened soon 
after the head of the column came in view. Before day-light 
the next morning, the division was marched across the Ten- 
nessee River, and behind some hills, out of view of the enemy. 
It was said that this was one of the plans which General Grant 



230 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

had adopted to puzzle and mislead the enemy ; and it may be 
correct history. It was even said that General Grant would, 
in the night-time, march troops from the north bank of the 
river under Lookout Mountain, and, after day-light the next 
morning, march them back to their former position. But, 
however this may be, it is certain that Bragg was, by some 
means, thrown from his reckoning ; for he attributed to Gen- 
eral Grant, at Chattanooga, a much larger army than he. had. 

From the 20th of November until the 23d, the 10th Iowa, 
with its brigade and division, rested in camp behind the hills 
above mentioned, but at mid-night of the last named date 
marched down to the river to effect a crossing. The crossing 
was to be made in pontoons, and just below the mouth of 
South Chickamauga Creek. The pontoon-boats had already 
been launched in the North Chickamauga, so that all was in 
readiness. The brigade of General Giles A. Smyth, numbering 
about eighteen hundred men, led the advance. Embarking on 
the pontoon-boats, they floated quietly down into the Tennes- 
see, and then made rapidly for the opposite shore; and so quiet 
and systematic were their movements that they surprised and 
captured the entire picket-guard of the enemy but one. By 
day-light in the morning, nearly three entire divisions of Sher- 
man's command had reached the south bank safely, and were 
behind intrenchments nearly a mile and a half in length. 
These successes insured victory to General Grant at Chatta- 
nooga; for he could now swing round on the enemy's right and 
rear, and force him to abandon his boasted impregnable 
position. 

In the fighting which followed, the 5th, the 10th, and the 
17th Iowa regiments took a conspicuous part, though neither 
of these regiments met the enemy till the 25th instant. Nor 
did the 6th Iowa, which was the only other Iowa regiment 
that crossed the Tennessee with Sherman, meet the enemy 



PARIS PERRIN HENDERSON. 231 

I before that time. In a south-westerly direction from where 
the crossing was effected, and about four miles distant, was the 
I long range of irregular and precipitous hills, known as Mission 
j Ridge; and to wrest these from the possession of the enemy, 
j was the object of General Sherman's crossing the river. At 
j about three o'clock in the afternoon of the 24th instant, the 
10th Iowa, with its brigade and division, (the whole command 
drawn up in column by division) marched down through the 
I timber and wet bottom-lands that intervened between the 
place of crossing and Mission Ridge, to assault and capture a 
high hill in the northern portion of the ridge. The movement 
was made, and the hill gained without a casualty ; for, not 
i having been fortified, it was abandoned by the enemy. But 
on the next hill beyond, which was about half a mile distant, 
were the enemy in large force, and strongly fortified; and 
against this position were the attacks of the 7th Division 
directed the next day. Retiring from the hill just occupied by 
! its division, the 10th Iowa bivouacked the night of the 24th in 
j the woods near the Chattanooga and Knoxville Railroad ; but 
there was little sleep for the regiment, for it was during that 
night that General Hooker was driving the enemy from Look- 
out Mountain; and such an incessant and appalling fire of 
musketry was hardly ever heard before in the night-time. 
It raged from sun-down until near day-light the next morning. 
Thus far every thing had worked favorably, and "on the 
night of the 24th our forces maintained an unbroken line, with 
open communications, from the north end of Lookout Moun- 
tain, through Chattanooga Valley, to the north end of Mission 
Ridge." General Bragg was now defeated; and to save his 
army, his baggage, stores and artillery, was with him the 
important question. The point against which the attacks of 
the 5th, 6th, 10th and 17th Iowa regiments, with their respec- 
tive commands, were directed on the 25th instant, covered 



232 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

and protected Bragg's line of communications to the rear; 
and hence it was that the fighting at that point was of the 
most desperate character; for, that hill lost, and Bragg would 
have lost nearly every thing. 

The 10th Iowa, with its brigade, was ordered up to reinforce 
General Ewing's command at eleven o'clock in the morning. 
Moving west across the railroad already alluded to, it marched 
out across an open field, and down into low ground, which 
was covered with under-brush. Next, it was faced to the south, 
which brought it fronting the hill in question, and for the 
possession of which. General Sherman was now struggling. 
Thus far, the entire brigade had lost but two men ; but now 
orders came for an advance — first to the White House, 
(which was already in flames) and then to the top of the hill. 
In the advance to the White House, the artillery-firing of 
the enemy was most frightful. Their position on the hill, or 
succession of hills, was semi-circular, and, at different points 
along their line, were some forty pieces of artillery in battery, 
the range of which was short and accurate. They used solid 
shot, shell, canister and grape; and, altogether, it was the most 
terrific artillery-fire the 10th Iowa ever passed under in the 
open field. It was also the most terrific artillery-fire the 5th 
and 17th Iowa ever passed under. To this day, I can not recall 
that hour, without feeling in sympathy with the old Latin 
poet: '■^ Steteruntque comce et vox faucibus hcesit.^^ 

On the hill-top, the 10th held the left of the brigade, and 
fought with its accustomed gallantry ; but the numbers of the 
enemy, with their strong position, could not be overcome, and 
a retreat had to be ordered soon after General Matthies, its 
brigade commander, was wounded. The engagements of 
Champion's Hill and Mission Bidge are regarded by the 10th 
Iowa, as among their hardest battles. 



PARIS PERRIN HENDERSON. 233 

From the 25th of November, 1863, until the following May, 
the histories of the 10th and 17th Iowa regiments are similar. 
The 10th marched to Graysville, Georgia, in pursuit of Bragg's 
forces, and then, returning, was ordered to Huntsville, Ala- 
bama, where it remained until the following May. It was 
then sent to Decatur, Alabama, the junction of the Nashville 
and Decatur, with the Memphis and Charleston Railroad. 
While at Huntsville, the regiment had re-enlisted as veterans; 
but it did not receive its veteran furlough until the following 
June. 

While stationed at Decatur, the 10th Iowa, under Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel McCalla, with some one hundred and thirty men 
of the 9th Ohio Cavalry, had a little affair with the rebel forces 
of General Forest, on the south side of the Tennessee River; 
but I omit details, for their recital could give no additional 
lustre to the already brilliant record of the regiment. 

The 10th Iowa Infantry returned to the front late in July, 
1864, and arrived at Kingston, Georgia, on the 1st of August. 
Here it remained on guard-duty along the railroad, until the 
time of Wheeler's celebrated cavalry raid on General Sher- 
man's rear line of communications, when it joined the command 
which was organized to make pursuit. The expedition was 
out about twenty days, and marched, during that time, more 
than five hundred miles. But their fleet-footed adversary 
could not be brought to a stand, and, after pursuing him 
through East and Middle Tennessee and Northern Alabama, 
they finally came up with him just as his rear-guard was cross- 
ing the Tennessee River at Florence. Soon after, followed the 
flanh movement of General Hood, after which, the 10th Iowa 
moved with General Sherman on his memorable march to 
Savannah. Its last campaign was from Savannah to Raleigh, 
and that will probably be its last in the war ; for the veteran 
army of Northern Virginia has now surrendered. 



234 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

Colonel Henderson is about six feet in hight, and well 
formed. He has a pleasant face, and an easy, winning address. 
No one can know him but to like him. The Colonel was a 
brave and efficient officer, and popular with his regiment ; but 
he was too kind and conceding, I am told, for an excellent 
disciplinarian. 

Henderson was one of the Iowa colonels who would do justice 
to a subordinate, without an express or implied consideration. 
He never bartered his honor to enhance his chances for pro- 
motion. 



COLONEL ABRAHAM M. HARE. 

FIRST COT.ONEL, ELEVENTH INFANTRY. 

Abraham M. Hare, the original colonel of the 11th Iowa 
Infantry, is a native of Ohio, where he was born about the 
year 1812. He was one of the earliest settlers of Muscatine, 
Iowa, having established himself in that place before the year 
1839. For several years after settling in Muscatine, he carried 
on the hatter's business ; and later, opened a hat and cap store. 
He was successful in business, and, in the course of a few years, 
acquired a respectable fortune. I am told he stands among 
the wealthy and most exemplary men of Muscatine. He had 
some knowledge of military matters before entering the 
service, having been a major of militia in Ohio. 

He was mustered colonel of the 11th Iowa on the 1st day of 
November, 1861, and served with his regiment until the battle 
of Shiloh, when he resigned his commission, on account of a 
wound received in that engagement. 

But little of the history of the 11th Iowa Infantry was made 
under Colonel Hare. The regiment was recruited mainly from 
the counties of Muscatine, Iowa, Hardin, Marshall, Louisa, 
Cedar, Keokuk, Washington, Henry, Clinton and Linn: Mus- 
catine is the most largely represented. It was mustered into 
the United States service, by companies, in the months of Sep- 
tember and October, 1861, and the following Winter, served 
in Missouri. Shiloh was its first battle, and the only one it 
was engaged in during the colonelcy of Colonel Hare : indeed, 
it was not under him in that engagement; for he was in com- 
mand of the brigade to which it was attached. Lieutenant- 
Colonel, afterward Colonel Hall commanded the regiment, and 

235 



236 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

made the report of the engagement. The 11th and 13th Iowa 
were attached to the same brigade at Shiloh, and the part the 
regiment sustained in the engagement, may be seen in the 
sketch of Brigadier-General M. M. Crocker. 

Among the killed at Shiloh, the 11th Iowa lost Lieutenant 
John F. Compton, Sergeants Henry Seibert, Ezra McLoney 
and George E. Daniels; and Corporals William F. Hough, 
George J. Barns, and Martin A. McLain. Captain Charles 
Foster was wounded, as also was Sergeant E. D. Akers, who 
was not long after promoted to the captaincy of his company. 
The regiment lost heavily in killed and wounded, but the 
exact number I have been unable to learn. The rebel General 
A. Sidney Johnson fell in front of the 11th Iowa, and was 
doubtless killed by this regiment. 

Colonel Hare was quite severely wounded near the close of 
the first day's battle, and left the field. He was wounded 
where his brigade made its last stand ; and in speaking of him 
General McClernand says: — " Colonel A. M. Hare, command- 
ing the 1st Brigade, who had borne himself through the day 
with great constancy and courage, was here wounded, and the 
command of the brigade devolved on his able and gallant 
successor, Colonel Crocker." 

Colonel Hare is a large, athletic man, of billious-sanguine 
temperament, and dark complexion. His hair once black, is 
now streaked with gray ; his eye though mild, is penetrating. 
He is determined in purpose, and kind-hearted, a fact univers- 
ally attested by the "boys" of his regiment. He is cool, 
deliberate and fearless in battle, and unostentatious in man- 
ners. It is doubtless owing to this peculiar trait of character 
that I am unable to get further details of his history. He 
seems satisfied with having done his duty. 



COLONEL WILLIAM HALL. 

SECOND COLONEL, ELEVENTH INFANTRY. 

William Hall was born in the city of Montreal, Canada 
East, on the 25th of January, 18.32; but, though born in Canada, 
he is not a foreigner. His parents were, at the time of his 
birth, residents of the State of Vermont, and chanced to be on 
a visit at Montreal. William remained at home with his 
family till 1844, during which time his father resided in 
Ogdensburg, New York; Brookville, Canada West; and Roch- 
ester, New York. In 1844 he entered Oberlin College, where 
he remained a year and a half, and then entered the Western 
Military Institute of Kentucky. At that time, as also at the 
breaking out of the rebellion, the rebel Bushrod Johnson was 
superintendent of the institution. Commencing with the rank 
of private, Colonel Hall went through all the military grades 
of the school, and graduated as acting-adjutant, and with the 
rank of captain. Soon after leaving that institution, he entered 
the Harvard Law School, at Cambridge, Massachusetts; but, 
without graduating, left in 1854, and came West. Since that 
time he has made his residence in Davenport, Iowa. By pro- 
fession. Colonel Hall is a lawyer ; and I understand he ranked 
fairly at the Davenport bar. He had the reputation of being a 
hard worker, and of doing the best he could for his clients. 

In the summer of 18G1 he entered the volunteer service, and 
the 23d of September following was commissioned major of the 
11th Iowa Infantry. He was promoted to the lieutenant- 
colonelcy of his regiment, on the 11th of October, 1861, and, on 
the resignation of Colonel Hare, was commissioned colonel. 
He held this rank, and served in the field, till the summer of 

237 



238 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

1864, when, Colonel W. W. Belknap being promoted over him 
to a general officer, he resigned in disgust. It is reported that, 
after his return home, he espoused conservatism, and villified, 
in public speeches, the policy of the Administration ; but that 
can hardly be so. 

As already stated, the 11th Iowa's first battle was Shiloh. 
Its second was Corinth ; and the part it acted in the latter may 
be gained from the following extract from Colonel, now Gene- 
ral, Crocker's official report : 

"About fivc^ o'clock in the morning of the 3d instant, the 
brigade formed — two regiments, the 11th and 13th Iowa vol- 
unteers in line of battle, facing to the west, and the loth and 
16th Iowa volunteers, in close column by division in rear of the 
line. The regiments remained in that position, with skirmish- 
ers deployed in front, receiving an occasional cannon-shot, 
until about three o'clock, when, the division on the right hav- 
ing fallen back, a change of front was ordered. The 15th and 
16th were then formed in line of battle perpendicular to the 
first line, and the 11th and 13th, in close column by division, 
in the rear. In this position, the brigade remained until about 
four o'clock P. M., when orders were again received to again 
change front, so as to connect the right of the brigade with 
the left of General Davis' Division, its left to rest in the direc- 
tion of Battery E. After the execution of this order had been 
commenced, notice was received from General McKean that 
the division was to move back inside the inner fortifications ; 
and an order was received that, the llth and 13th regiments be 
formed in line of battle a quarter of a mile in the rear of the 
line formed by the 15th and 16th, in front of, and parallel to 
the road, over which the artillery of the division must pass, 
the brigade to protect the movements of the rest of the divi- 
sion, and the artillery." 

This position, which the llth Iowa, or the Iowa brigade was 
thus ordered to abandon, was south of the Chewalla road, and 
a little north-of-west of Corinth. "On arriving inside the 
fortifications, we took position, the 15th Iowa in line of battle 
in rear of, and to the right of the battery commanded by 



WILLIAM HALL. 239 

Captain Phillips, 1st Infantry; the 16th in rear of, and sup- 
porting the 5th Ohio Battery, which was in position on the left 
of Captain Phillip's Battery ; five companies of the 11th Reg- 
iment, in command of Major Abercrombie, in line of battle, 
supporting the 1st Minnesota Battery, in position still on the 
left of the 5th Ohio Battery; the 13th Iowa, and five compa- 
nies of the 11th, still in the rear of the 15th and IGth, in close 
column by division, as a reserve." This last position was held 
through all the fighting of the next day, the 11th Iowa being 
drawn up in line of battle in rear of the loth. The onlj^ com- 
missioned offlcers of the regiment, wounded in botli day's 
fighting, were Lieutenants "William II. Wetherby and Dennis 
P. Greeley : the latter was wounded by a falling tree. 

From November 1861, till the spring of 1864, the history of 
the 11th Iowa will be found in the sketches of other officers 
and regiments. It re-enlisted in tlie winter of 1863-4, and 
came North, on veteran furlough, in March following. 

In May, 1864, two divisions of the 17th Army Corps ren- 
dezvoused at Clifton, on the Tennessee, from which point, 
General Blair marched across the country to Sherman, via 
Huntsville, Decatur and Rome. The 11th Iowa was attached 
to this command, and arrived at the front early in June, and, 
while Sherman was in the vicinity of Acworth, Georgia. The 
regiment first confronted the enemy before Kenesaw Mountain, 
and lost its first man on the loth of June. Before Kenesaw, 
" General Hooker was on its right and front. General Howard 
on its left and front, and General Palmer between it and the 
railroad." The rebel General Polk was killed by a caimon- 
shot on the 14th of June, after which the enemy abandoned 
Pine Mountain away on the right, and took up a position 
"with Kenesaw as his salient point, his right wing thrown 
back to cover Marietta, and his left behind Nose's Creek, 



240 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

covering the railroad back to the Chattahoocliie." While the 
enemy were in this position, General Sherman made his bloody 
and unsuccessful assault. The flank movement to the right, 
led by the 17th Corps, commenced in the evening of the 2d of 
July, and an account of it will be found in the sketch of Gen- 
eral lied rick. 

Like the other regiments of the Iowa Brigade, the 11th Iowa 
suffered its severest loss on the afternoon of the 22d of July ; 
but an account of this engagement has been given elsewhere. 
The following is from Lieutonant-Colonel Abercrombie's offi- 
cial report: 

" Many acts of bravery were performed by officers and men 
of the regiment, which might be mentioned, did time and 
opportunity permit. 

"Major Foster was wounded early in the action, faithful in 
discharge of his duty. Captain Neal was killed instantly by a 
grape-shot at the fort late in the afternoon. Captain Barr is 
missing. Captain Rose, missing, is supposed to have been 
wounded and captured. 1st Lieutenant Cassell, missing; 1st 
Lieutenant Caldwell, killed ; 1st Lieutenant Pfoutz, wounded ; 
2d Lieutenant Wylie, wounded. I would make honorable 
mention of Sergeant-Major John G. Safley, who, with 1st Ser- 
geant John A. Buck, Company K, (afterwards killed — brave 
fellow) and a party of picked up men, numbering thirty or 
forty, made a dash over the works held by the enemy, bring- 
ing over more than their own number as i)risoners, amongst 
whom were a colonel and captain. 

" In the sally, Safley was wounded, but it is not believed 
seriously. During the action a Confederate flag was cap- 
tured, and brought over the works by Private George B. 
Haworth, of Company B, and is now in his possession. A 
banner, belonging to the 45th Alabama, was also brought over 
by Private Edward Siberts, of Company G, which was placed 
by him in the hands of Lieutenant Safley, Provost-Marshal of 
the brigade," 

Altogether, the 11th Iowa captured, and sent to the rear, 
ninety-three persons. Both Captain J. W. Anderson and 



WILLIAM HALL. 241 

Adjutant B. W. Prescott are mentioned for gallantry. The 
loss of the regiment, in killed, wounded and missing, was 
severe — eight officers and one hundred and twenty-nine men. 
It has already been stated that Major Foster was wounded. 
He died not long after, and the regiment mourned, in his loss, 
one of its finest and most popular officers. He was a native of 
New Hampshire. 

From the 15th of June, 18G4, to the oth of September, the 11th 
Iowa lost, in killed, wounded and missing, ten commissioned 
officers, and two hundred and seven enlisted men. One of the 
officers, who has not already been mentioned, was Lieutenant 
Alfred Carey of Company E. He was wounded on the loth of 
June, before Kenesaw, and afterwards died of his wounds. 

A further history of the 11th Iowa will be found in the 
sketches of the other regiments of the 17th Corps' Iowa Brigade. 

For several months, Colonel Hall commanded the Iowa 
Brigade. He commanded it on General Blair's Mechanicsville 
march during the siege of Vicksburg, and until the return of 
Colonel Chambers of the 16th Iowa from leave of absence. He 
also commanded it through the entire Atlanta Campaign. He 
was not much liked by his brigade. He was nearly all the 
time sick and irritable; but, in justice, I should add, he never 
made his sickness an excuse to avoid duty. If danger was at 
hand, he was never the second man present. 

The colonel is a small man, weighing about one hundred and 
twenty-five pounds. He has a slender, gaunt, ungainly per- 
son, rendered so, I suppose by disease. He wears long, black 
hair; has large, black eyes, and a dark, sallow complexion. 
Colonel Hall is not a comely man. When I saw him, in the 
spring of 1864, I wondered how he had for three years endured 
the hardships of the service. 

When interested or excited, he moves about nervously, with 
16 



242 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

his face turned downward, and his liands thrust in his panta- 
loons' pockets. He has large self-esteem, and prides himself 
in doing things in his own way. If he is as he seems, he is 
impervious to flattery; but that can hardly be, for he shows 
great indignity, if he thinks his services underrated. It was 
on this score that he tendered his resignation. 

Considering his ill-health, Colonel Hall was successful as a 
soldier. He was a good tactician, and brave and resolute. His 
greatest fault seemed to be in questioning, the justness and 
propriety of the orders of his superiors. He would obey them, 
but it was not uncommon for him to do so under protest. The 
following will illustrate how the enlisted men of his command 
appreciated his temper. 

While the Iowa Brigade was encamped at Clifton, Tennessee, 
just before starting across the country to Huntsville, a squad 
of raw recruits, from its different regiments, were put on 
picket. They were in the enemy's country, and, of course, 
were ordered to load their pieces. Returning to camp in the 
morning, they inquired of the veterans how they should get 
the charges out of their guns, and received the following 
instructions : " Go out there, behind Colonel Hall's tent, and fire 
them off: that's the only place— and be sure and all fire at 
once." They did as directed. What followed, was better 
appreciated by the veterans, than by those who were learning 
their first lesson in soldiering. Colonel Hall, who was in bed, 
sprang out in a rage, and ordered the poor fellows tied from 
morning till night. 



COLONEL JOSEPH JACKSON WOODS. 

TWELFTH INFANTRY. 

J. J. Woods, of the 12th Iowa Infantry, has a checkered 
history, which will be read with interest. He is a native of 
Ohio, and was born in Brown county, the 11th day of January, 
1823. In 1833, he removed with his father's family to Rush 
county, Indiana, whence, after a residence of two years, he 
returned to his native county. 

Colonel AVoods is a West Point graduate. Having comjileted 
his preparatory course at Augusta College, Kentucky, he 
entered the West Point Military Academy in 1843. He was a 

. successful scholar, and graduated in 1847, the third in his class. 

I Receiving a 2d lieutenant's commission in the 1st United 
States Artillery, he sailed, on the 10th of October, 1847, under 

j orders for Vera Cruz; but, on the fourth day out, the vessel 

I on \^•hich he had taken passage was wrecked near the Great 
Bahama. After several days of peril and hardship, he reached 
Nassau, New Providence, and sailed thence to Charleston, 
South Carolina, where he passed several weeks with a former 
class-mate, by the name of Blake. Re-embarking again for 
Vera Cruz, he reached that place on the 5th of January, 1848. 
In August of the same year, after having had yellow fever, he 
was recalled and ordered to report at Governor's Island, New 
York Harbor. He was promoted to a 1st lieutenancy the 29th 
of October, 1848, and soon after sailed with Companies L and 
M of his regiment for Oregon : these were the first troops sent 
by our Government to that Territory. He remained in Oregon 
till the winter of 1853; and, during his stay in the Territory, 
was stationed at Fort Vancouver, Astoria, and Middle Oregon. 

243 



244 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

At the last named place he had command of the Dalles. 
In the winter of 1853, he was ordered to New York City on 
recruiting service, where he remained till the following Octo- 
ber, when he resigned his commission. Soon after, he pur- 
chased a farm in Jackson county, Iowa, on which he has since 
resided. 

In August, 1861, Colonel Woods was tendered the lieuten- 
ant-colonelcy of the 9th Iowa Infantry ; but this position he 
declined, and was, on the 23d of the following October, commis- 
sioned colonel of the 12th. From that date till the expiration 
of his three year's term of service, he served in command, 
either of his regiment, or of the brigade to which it was 
attached. He left the army in the fall of 1864, with the respect 
and good-will of his regiment, and with the high personal con- 
sideration of his superior ofl&cers. His services merited recog- 
nition at Washington; but, with him as with some others, 
modesty blocked the wheels of promotion. 

The 12th Iowa Infantry, like the other Iowa regiments which 
were captured with it in the first day's battle at Shiloh, has a 
bright record. Its first battle was Fort Donelson. It had been 
present at the capture of Fort Henry; but, like the other 
infantry troops, took no part. The late gallant Admiral Foote 
captured Fort Henry with his three wooden and four iron-clad 
gun-boats, and received the surrender of General Tilghman ; 
and no one will dispute with him that honor. 

General Smith, in whose command was the 12th Iowa, 
operated on the bluffs on the west bank of the Tennessee, and 
General McClernand, on the east. Had McClernand moved 
two hours sooner, he would have invested the fort, and cap- 
tured five thousand prisoners; but he floundered in miry 
swamps, and nearly the entire rebel garrison escaped to Fort 
Donelson before he came up. It was said the blunder was 



JOSEPH J. WOODS. 245 

General Grant's ; but, if it was, he retrieved it a few days after 
at Fort Donelson. 

After the fall of Fort Henry, the 12th Iowa, with its divis- 
ion, marched across the country to the rear of Fort Donelson, 
on the Cumberland. The distance is twelve miles. One strong 
and important point in the long line of rebel defenses — that 
line extending from Bowling Green, Kentucky, down past 
Fort Donelson and Fort Plenry, and across the country to 
Columbus — had been wrested from the enemy. Fort Donel- 
son captured, and the country south, to the vicinity of the 
Memphis and Charleston Railroad, including the city of Nash- 
ville and the railroad connecting Bowling Green with Colum- 
bus, must be yielded by the Confederates. Columbus, too, 
must be evacuated, and the Mississippi abandoned as far south 
as Memphis. Then, with prompt and energetic movement on 
the part of the Federal forces, the Memphis and Charleston 
Railroad could be cut, the strategic point of Corinth occupied, 
and Kentucky and West Tennessee restored to Federal author- 
ity. The issue at Fort Donelson was therefore watched with 
impatience and anxiety. 

General Grant, with the divisions of Smith and McClernand, 
arrived in rear of Fort Donelson in the evening of the 12th of 
February, 1862. That night the troops slept on their arms, as 
they also did on every subsequent night, until the fort capitu- 
lated. . The division of Smith, jfiling to the left from the Dover 
road, swung round against the enemy's right, and that of 
McClernand, filing to the right, formed line in front of the 
enemy's left. The right and left of these divisions remained 
connected; for the division of General Wallace, which was to 
occupy the centre, had not yet arrived, but was on its way up 
the Cumberland River. The 12th Iowa was still under Smith, 
and was attached to the 3d Brigade, commanded by Colonel J. 



246 IOWA COLONELS AND KEGIMENTS. 

Cook. The 4th Brigade of the same division, in which were 
the 2d, 7th, and 14th Iowa regiments, was next on the left and 
constituted both the left of the division and the left of the 
Federal forces. 

"Thursday morning, at half past eight o'clock, (I quote 
from Colonel Woods' report) we marched down to, and uj) the 
Dover road about half a mile, when we filed to the left, and 
formed line of battle : threw forward the flanking companies 
as skirmishers, and marched forward down a long slope that 
lay in front, the grape, shot and shell of the enemy flying thickly 
around us all the time. Our skirmishers advanced to the top of 
the hill that lay in front of us. The battalion halted at two- 
thirds of the distance to the top of the hill, where it was pro- 
tected from the enemy's fire by the ridge in front." This 
position was held by the 12th Iowa the following night ; and 
that night and the following one will never be forgotton by the 
regiment. A fierce north-east storm set in late in the afternoon, 
and raged with great fury, and the men, though drenched with 
the rain, and chilled with the cold, were allowed no fires, and 
suffered most bitterly. That morning the 12th Iowa had lost 
its first man killed in battle— private Edward C. Buckner. He 
was shot through the head on the skirmish line, and killed 
instantly. In the wet and cold of the following night, the sad 
event was talked over by the men, and they wondered who 
would be the next to fall. 

The entire day of the 14th, (Friday) and the forenoon of 
the following, were passed by the 12th Iowa in skirmishing 
with the enemy ; and, during this time, the regiment was gal- 
lantly supported by the 50th Illinois, and by Birge's Sharp- 
shooters. No assaults were attempted on Friday, for the divi- 
sion of General Wallace, and the gun-boat fieet had not yet 
come up. The fighting on the south side of Fort Donelson 
closed about noon on Saturday, the 15th instant; when the 



JOSEPH J. WOODS. 247 

enemy, having routed McClernand, returned to their works in 
triumph. It was at this hour that General Pillow sent his 
laconic report to Nashville : "On the honor of a soldier, the 
day is ours." " At about two o'clock in the afternoon of Sat- 
urday, the 12th Iowa, oOth Illinois, and Birge's Sharp-shooters 
were ordered to make a feint-attack, to draw the enemy's fire. 
The men went cheerfully to the work assigned them ; and kept 
up a warm fire on the enemy, while Colonel Lauman's brig- 
ade, on our left, advanced on the enemy, and got possession of 
a part of the enemy's outer works, and hoisted thereon the 
American flag." From that hour until night-fall, the 12th 
Iowa was sharply engaged, and during that time, the regiment 
suffered nearly its entire loss. It moved to the support of 
Colonel Tuttle by the left flank, and, marching through the 
deep ravine in its front, and over the fallen timber, arrived at 
the top of the hill, just as the 25th Indiana commenced falling 
back. The regiment entered the rebel works to the right of 
Colonel Tuttle, and held its position till morning, when the 
Fort and its garrison were surrendered. 

The casualties of the regiment in this engagement were 
thirty — all, with the exception of three, being sustained on 
Saturday afternoon. Two only were killed. Among the 
wounded, was Lieutenant-Colonel Coulter, who "behaved 
with the utmost coolness and bravery, and performed his 
duties regardless of the danger to which he was exposed." 
Major Brodtbeck and Surgeon Parker received special men- 
tion for their good conduct. " Every commissioned officer 
performed his duty without flinching." Sergeant -Major Mor- 
risy, and Color-bearer Sergeant Grannis, and many others, 
deserve special mention for their coolness and gallantry. 
Privates Buckner and Stillman were the two men killed : the 
former was shot in the eye, and the latter in the right temple. 
With the exception of the 2d Iowa Infantry, no troops are 



248 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

entitled to more credit, for the part they sustained in the 
capture of Fort Donelson, than this regiment. 

The next engagement of the 12th Iowa was Shiloh, wliere, 
for holding its position too long, it was captured. It has been 
matter of wonder why General Grant and Admiral Foote, after 
the fall of Fort Donelson, did not push on directly to Nashville. 
The people of that city, and the rebel troops there stationed, 
would be in the utmost consternation; and it was believed that 
the place could be occupied with little or no opposition. Both 
Grant and Foote appreciated the situation, and were anxious 
to advance against the city ; but Halleck, the general command- 
ing the Department, would not give his consent. They called 
him the old wheel-horse. Some said he was good only on the 
hold-back, and, to succeed, he must have a doivn-hill enter- 
prise. As it was, the enemy, in their mad fright, destroyed 
some two million dollars' worth of property which might have 
been appropriated by the Government. General Johnson's 
army, too, on the march from Bowling Green, might probably 
have been captured. A week after the fall of Fort Donelson, 
General Buel occupied Nashville; after which. General Grant 
proceeded up the Tennessee River to Savannah and Pittsburg 
Landing. 

At the battle of Shiloh, the 12th Iowa was attached to the 1st 
Brigade, 2d Division, commanded by General Wallace. Gen- 
eral Smith was absent at Paducah . Colonel, afterwards General 
Tuttle commanded the brigade. The part taken by the regi- 
ment in this engagement is elsewhere given. It formed a part 
of that line which, though at last broken, was held with such 
obstinacy as to save Grant's army from total rout. 

After receiving orders to fall back, Colonel Woods says, in 
his official report : 

"Seeing ourselves surrounded, we nevertheless opened a 
brisk fire on that portion of the enemy who blocked our pass- 



JOSEPH J. WOODS. 249 

I age to the Landing, who, after briskly returning our fire for a 
short time, fell back. A brisk fire from the enemy on our left 
was going on at the same time. Seeing the enemy in front 
I falling back, we attempted, by a rapid movement, to cut our 
I way through ; but the enemy on our left advanced rapidly, 
coming in behind us, pouring into our ranks a most destructive 
fire. The enemy in front faced about, and opened on us at 
short range, the enemy in our rear still closing in on us rapidly. 
I received two wounds, disabling me from further duty. The 
command then devolved on Captain Edgington, acting as field 
officer. The enemy had, however, already so closely sur- 
I rounded us that their balls, which missed our men, took effect 
I in their ranks beyond us. To have held out longer would have 
I been to suffer complete annihilation. The regiment was there- 
fore compelled to surrender as prisoners of war." 
The regiment's list of casualties was great, though the exact 
j number I am unable to give. The killed and wounded num- 
I bered about one hundred and fifty. Of the conduct of his 
regiment, Colonel Woods says : — " Captains Earle, Warner, 
Stibbs, Haddock, Van Duzee and Townsley performed well 
their part, as did all the lieutenants in the action, in a prompt 
and willing manner. The non-commissioned oflacers and men 
stood bravely up to their work, and never did men behave 
better." Lieutenants Ferguson and Moir, two brave and wor- 
thy officers, were both killed. As already stated, Colonel 
Woods was twice wounded, and taken prisoner. He was shot 
through the left leg and right hand. The former wound dis- 
I abled him, so that he could not march to the rear with the 
other prisoners, and the fortunes of the following day restored 
him to liberty ; for he was re-captured by our forces. Over 
four hundred of the 12th Iowa were captured, and, of these, 
eighty died in Southern prisons. That is the saddest page in 
the history of this noble regiment. 

The 12th Iowa was re-organized in the winter of 1862-3, that 
portion of it which had been captured having been previously 
exchanged. The regiment was again led to the front by its 



250 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

unassuming colonel, and assigned to the 3d Brigade, 3d Divis- 
ion, 15th Army Corps. The command of the brigade was given 
to Colonel Woods. A detailed account of the movements of 
the regiment need not be given here; for a full history of 
operations in the rear of Vicksburg will be found elsewhere. 

The 12th marched with its corps from Milliken's Bend, via 
Grand Gulf to Jackson, and thence to the rear of Vicksburg, 
where it participated in the long and arduous siege. On the 
fall of that city, it marched back with Sherman to Jackson, 
and, after the flight of Johnson, assisted in the almost total 
destruction of the place. 

The regiment's next important services were rendered in 
Northern Mississippi, in the spring of 1864 ; though I should 
not omit to state that it marched with Sherman on his trip to 
Meridian. 

It re-enlisted as a veteran regiment, in the winter of 1863-4, 
and came North on veteran furlough; after which, it was 
assigned to the command of General A. J. Smith, and, under 
that general, fought at the battle of Tupelo, July 14th, 1864. 
Its conduct in this engagement, and in saving Smith's train 
from capture and burning the day before, between Pontotoc 
and Tupelo, made it one of the star regiments of the expedi- 
tion. 

The previous reverses, sustained by the army stationed at 
and near Memphis, under General Sturgis, are stated in the 
sketches of other officers. The expedition in question left 
La Grange, on the line of the Memphis and Charleston Rail- 
road, on the 5th of July, 1864; and, proceeding in a south- 
easterly direction, passed through Ripley and Pontotoc, and 
thence on to Tupelo. The heat and the dust rendered the 
march extremely painful and exhausting ; but the brave men 
endured the hardships with great fortitude, for they were to 
retrieve our arms in that quarter from disgrace. 



JOSEPH J. WOODS. 251 

On the 13th instant, the 12th Iowa was assigned the duty of 
guarding the supply-train, a task whicli was not without its 
dangers, and which, on account of tlie hilly and timbered 
country through which the march lay, required the greatest 
vigilance. The country, too, was full of scouting parties of the 
enemy. Early in the afternoon, Lieutenant-Colonel Stibbs, 
commanding the regiment, was informed by one of his flankers 
that, the enemy's cavalry, in large force, were advancing 
rapidly through the timber on his right. It proved to be 
Maley's Mississii^pi Brigade. Learning their intended point 
of attack, the colonel threw his regiment in their front, and, 
concealing his men in the dense brush, ordered them to hold 
their fire till they received the proper command. Soon, the 
enemy came dashing through the woods, firing their carbines, 
and shouting like demons. They were allowed to approach 
within less than twenty paces, when a well-directed volley 
from the regiment checked them, and a second one drove 
them back in confusion, with the loss of their colors. They 
continued a scattering fire for fifteen or twenty minutes, and 
then retired. 

In this affair, the loss of the 12th Iowa was one man killed, 
and twelve wounded. Among the latter, was Captain C. 
L. Lumbardo. The battle of Tupelo opened the next 
I morning. 

On Thursday, the 14th instant, Smith's army was put under 

arms at three o'clock in the morning, and was soon after 

I marched out and formed in line, on the right of the Pontotoc 

I road. The position of the 3d Brigade, 1st Division, to which 

' was attached the 12th Iowa, was as follows: "On the extreme 

I right was stationed the 6th Indiana Battery, four guns ; next 

in line, on the left, was the 33d Wisconsin, of the 4th Brigade; 

next, the 33d Missouri ; next, the 2d Iowa Battery, four guns, 

commanded by Lieutenant J. Reed; and on the left of the 



252 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

brigade, in the most advanced position of our front line of 
battle, was the 12th Iowa, the 7th Minnesota being in reserve." 

Immediately after the line was formed, skirmishers were 
thrown out; and soon, the enemy, moving from their cover in 
the timber, appeared in force, and formed for the encounter. 
The battle opened with artillery, which was fired with great 
rapidity and precision. The range was short, and the screach- 
ing of shells, and the whistling of grape and canister, was 
frightful. In the meantime, the enemy pushed their infantry 
forward, and engaged the whole Federal front. The 12th Iowa 
was protected by an old fence thrown down for a barricade, 
from behind which it did terrible execution, repelling every 
rebel assault. And thus the fighting continued for upward of 
two hours, when the regiment, having exhausted its ammuni- 
tion, was sent to the rear. In half an hour, it returned with 
replenished cartridge-boxes, and, taking up its former position, 
again engaged the enemy. As the battle progressed, the 
enemy made charge after charge, confident of victory. They 
would approach within fifty yards of the Federal line, when, 
met by terrible volleys of canister and musketry, they would 
stagger for a moment, and then retire precipitately. To whip 
Smith's forces, was to be a "fore-breakfast spell"; but they 
must have thought their breakfast a long way otf. Finally, 
they were charged in turn by the 12th Iowa in the van, the 
35th Iowa, the 33d Missouri, the 33d Wisconsin and two com- 
panies of the 7th Minnesota. They could not face the valor 
of these veterans, and fled to the woods, leaving the bloody 
field in possession of the Federal forces. Nor did they return 
that day to renew the contest. 

Of the second day's fight, and of the results of both days' 
battles, Lieutenant-Colonel Stibbs says : 

"On the morning of the 15th instant my regiment was 
assigned a position to the left of the Pontotoc road, and formed 



JOSEPH J. WOODS. 253 

the left centre of the brigade line. We had a substantial breast- 
work of cotton-bales in our front, which served as an admirable 
protection against the enemy's sharp-shooters. We took full 
part in the fight and charge of the day, losing one man killed 
and three wounded. Our loss during the three days' fighting 
was one officer and eight men killed, one officer and fifty-four 
men wounded, and one man missing." 

Lieutenant A. A. Burdick, acting regimental quarter-master, 
was killed by a shell, while assisting to bring forward ammu- 
nition. He was a gallant young officer, and held in the highest 
esteem by his regiment. Sergeant Robert Fowler and Corporal 
G. R. Holden were also killed. 

Being without supplies, General Smith could not continue 
the pursuit ; and he therefore moved back in the direction of 
Memphis. Indeed, I am informed that the object of the expe- 
dition was accomplished on the battle-field of Tupelo— Forest 
and his command had been routed. The enemy's cavalry 
followed on the return as far as Oldtown Creek, giving the rear 
guard much trouble ; but so skillfully and successfully was the 
march conducted, that not a single wagon of the long train was 
lost. The expedition arrived at La Grange on the 20th instant ; 
and from that point all the wounded were sent forward to 
Memphis. 

The entire Federal loss in the fighting at Tupelo was about 
six hundred, while the enemy's was estimated at not less than 
two thousand. 

After General Smith's operations against Price in Missouri, 
in which the 12th Iowa took part, we next find the regiment 
with that general before Nashville. In the battles fought 
south of the last named city, it figured conspicuously ; and its 
gallantry became the more noted, from the fact that it went 
into the fight without a single line officer : each company was 
commanded by a sergeant. Lieutenant-Colonel J. H. Stibbs 
commanded the regiment, and Captain, now Major Knee was 



254 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

acting major — both brave and true men. The regiment's con- 
duet at Nashville is deserving of the greatest praise ; for its 
colors were among the first to be placed upon the enemy's 
strong redoubts. It accomplished much, with but small loss 
— two killed and eighteen wounded. The 12th Iowa last 
operated with General Smith, in the reduction of ]Mobile, or 
rather the strong forts, by which that city was defended. 

Colonel Woods has a slender, stooping form, brown hair, a 
light complexion, and mild, blue eyes. He is, in appearance 
and in faef, the most unassuming of the Iowa colonels. He 
speaks slowly and kindly, and was accustomed to give his 
commands with great coolness and deliberation. The officers 
and men of his regiment at first thought he lacked style and 
energy ; but they soon learned he possessed great worth as a 
commanding officer. He is the farthest removed from every 
thing that distinguishes regular army officers. 



BRIGADIER-GENERAL M. M. CROCKER. 

FIRST COLONEL, THIRTEENTH INFANTRY. 

Marcellus M. Crocker is a native of Jolnisou county, 
Indiana, where he was born on the 6th day of February, 1830. 
At the age of ten years, he accompanied his father's family to 
Illinois, whence, after a residence of four or five years, he 
removed to Jefferson county, Iowa. The extent of his early 
education I have failed to learn ; but, at the age of sixteen, he 
was appointed, through the recommendation of General A. C. 
Dodge, a cadet in the military academy at West Point. He is 
not however a graduate of that Institution. After an attend- 
ance of some two years and a half, his health failed him, and 
he was compelled to leave the Academy. Late in 1849, he. 
returned to Iowa, and began the study of law in the office of 
Judge Olney, at Fairfield. He commenced the practice of his 
profession in 1851, in the town of Lancaster, Keokuk county, 
where he remained till the spring of 1855, and then removed 
to Des Moines, his present home. 

General Crocker entered the service as captain of Company 
D, 2d Iowa Infantry. He had recruited his company in April, 
1861, for the three month's service, (as was the case with nearly 
' every captain of the 2d Iowa) but, the State's quota for that 
; term of service having been already filled, he was assigned to 
I the 2d Iowa, and, at the rendezvous of the regiment in 
i Keokuk, was elected its major. With that rank he entered 
' the field. Four months later, he was commissioned lieuten- 
ant-colonel, vice Tuttle, promoted, and on the 30th of October 
following, was transferred from his regiment, and made colonel 
I of the 13th Iowa Infantry. In the winter of 1862-3, he was 

255 



256 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

appointed and confirmed a brigadier-general. His promotions 
were rapid and riclily merited ; for, witii her splendid galaxy 
of military heroes, Iowa can not boast a better nor truer soldier 
than General Crocker. 

During his colonelcy of the 13th Iowa, General Crocker took 
part in two engagements — Shiloh and Corinth. In the for- 
mer, he commanded his regiment, and in the latter the Iowa 
Brigade — the oldest and not the least distinguished brigade 
command in the Army of the Tennessee. In the former, his 
conduct was gallant in the extreme ; and how he escaped with- 
out injury is really wonderful. I have spoken elsewhere of 
the confusion that reigned on the field in the afternoon of the 
first day's battle. At about four and a half o'clock it was at 
its hight, and was so wild and terrible as to beggar description. 
At that hour, Colonel Crocker was conspicuous. I am told that 
his splendid example of courage contributed not a little toward 
the establishment of the new line, which successfully resisted 
the enemy's further mlvance that night. The progress of the 
battle on the left, I have given in the sketch of Colonel W. G. 
Williams. To show its opening and progress on the right, I 
quote from the official report of Colonel Crocker ; for that gives 
the clearest and most intelligible account of any that I have 
seen : 

"Early on the morning of the sixth, the alarm was given, 
and heavy firing in the distance indicated that our camp was 
attacked. The regiment was formed in front of its color-line, 
its full force consisting of seven hundred and seventeen men, 
rank and file. It was at once ordered to form on the left of the 
2d Brigade, and proceeded to that position at a double-quick, 
and was then formed in line of battle in a skirt of woods, 
bordering on an open field, to the left of a battery. Plere it 
remained for some time inactive, while the enemy's guns were 
playing on our battery. In the meantime, a large force of the 
enemy's infantry were filing around the open field in front of 
our line, protected by the woods, and in the direction of our 



MARCELLUS M. CROCKER. 257 

battery, opening a heavy fire of musketry on the infantry sta- 
tioned on our right, and charging upon the battery. The 
infantry and battery to the right having given way, and the 
enemy advancing at double-quick, we gave them one round of 
musketry, and also gave way. At this time we, as indeed all 
of our troops in the immediate vicinity of the battery, were 
thrown into great confusion, and retired in disorder. Having 
retreated to the distance of one or two hundred yards, we suc- 
ceeded in rallying and forming a good line, the 8th and 18th 
Illinois volunteers on our left, and, having fronted to the 
enemy, held our position there under a continual fire of cannon 
and musketry, until after twelve o'clock, when we were ordered 
to retire and take up a new position. This we did in good 
order, and without confusion. 

"Here having formed a new line, we maintained it under an 
incessant fire, until four and a half o'clock, P. M., the men 
conducting themselves with great gallantry and coolness, and 
doing great execution on the enemy, repelling charge after 
charge, and driving them back with great loss. At four and a 
half o'clock, we were again ordered to fall back. In obeying 
this order, we became mixed up with a great many other regi- 
ments, falling back in confusion, so that our line was broken, 
and the regiment separated, rendering it very difficult to 
collect it." 

This was the last order to retire that was given that after- 
noon, and the last ground yielded to the enemy ; for the new 
line, when formed, was held successfully. It should, however, 
be stated that, it was now near night, and there was little 
more fighting that evening. It was in this new position that 
Colonel Hare, of the 11th Iowa, was wounded and retired 
from the field. During the day, he had commanded the 1st 
Brigade of McClernand's Division. After he was wounded 
and left the field, the command of the brigade was then 
turned over to Colonel Crocker— "his able and gallant succes- 
sor." 

In closing his report of the battle of Shiloh, Colonel Crocker 

says : 

"During the day, we were under fire of the enemy for ten 
17 



258 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

hours, and sustained a loss of twenty-three killed, and one 
hundred and thirty wounded. 

"On the morning of the 7th, we were ordered to continue 
with Colonel Tuttle's Division, and to follow up and sui)port 
our forces that were attacking, and driving back the enemy. 
We followed them up closely, moving to support the batteries, 
until the enemy was routed, after which, we were ordered to 
return to the encampment that we had left on Sunday morn- 
ing, where we arrived at eight o'clock, P. M. Our total loss 
in the action of the 6th and 7th is killed, twenty-four; 
wounded, one hundred and thirty-nine; missing, nine: total, 
one hundred and seventy-two. The men, for the most part, 
behaved with great gallantry. All the officers exliibited the 
greatest bravery and coolness; and I call especial attention to 
the gallant conduct of my field officers, Lieutenant-Colonel 
Price and Major Shane, who were both wounded in the action 
of the 6th, and acknowledge my great obligations to my adju- 
tant, Lieutenant Wilson, who, during the entire action, 
exhibited the highest qualities of a soldier." 

The last gun was fired at Shiloh, before two o'clock in the 
afternoon of the 7th, and that same evening, the main portion 
of Grant's army marched back to their former encampments, 
where, having buried the dead and cared for the wounded, 
they rested. 

Immediately after this engagement, the Iowa Brigade was 
organized, and placed under the command of Colonel Crocker. 
It was composed of the 11th, 13th, 15th and 16th Iowa regi- 
ments, and afterward, as I have already said, became one of 
the most distinguished brigade commands in the Army of the 
Tennessee. Under its first commander, it acquired that disci- 
pline and efficiency, for which it was noted under each of the 
general's successors — Chambers, Hall and Belknap. It has 
distinguished itself on half a score of battle-fields, and once 
saved the Army of the Tennessee from calamitous defeat. It 
has a most brilliant record. With this brigade. Colonel 
Crocker fought at the battle of Corinth ; but an account of that 
engagement will be found in the sketches of other officers. 



MARCELLUS M. CROCKER. 259 

In the winter of 1862-3, the colonel was made a brigadier- 
igeneral. His sterling qualities as a soldier, and his continued 
gallant deportment earned the promotion. After receiving 
Ihis commission, he continued with his brigade till the latter 
jpart of April, 1863, when, by order of General McPhersou, he 
isucceeded General Quimby in the command of the 7th Divi- 
ision, 17th Army Corps— the division which fought so gallantly, 
and lost so heavily at Jackson and Champion's Hill. He joined 
his division at Bruinsburg, just after it had crossed the Missis- 
sippi, and commanded it in the two above engagements. 

On the evening of the 13th of May, the 7th Division bivou- 
iacked, with its army corps at Clinton, ten miles west of 
{Jackson. The following night it was to camp in Jackson. 
The character of the country between Clinton and Jackson, 
'the condition of the roads, and the state of the weather on the 
jmorning of the 14th instant, I have given elsewhere. Crocker's 
|Division led the advance. This post of honor was granted by 



Im^ 



cPherson, at the general's own request, which barely antici- 
jpated a similar one from Logan. The march was made, and 
the enemy encountered about two and a half miles west of the 
city. Their line of battle was along a high ridge, and extended 
from north to south, as far as the eye could reach. The rain 
was falling in torrents, and, until it partially ceased, the two 
jarmies stood and watched each other. In half an hour it broke 
away, when General Crocker, pushing forward the 12th Wis- 
:consin Battery, saluted General Johnson. Tuttle's Division of 
Sherman's Corps, which had in the meantime come up on the 
jsouth side of the city, opened on the enemy at nearly the same 
jinstant. The 2d Iowa Battery, Lieutenant Reed, tired the first 
Igun on the south side of Jackson. The enemy's force was 
about ten thousand, and the principal portion of it was in 
Crocker's front ; but he pushed his leading brigade, which was 
drawn up in a continuous line, to the farthest point that 



260 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

afforded cover, and then ordered a charge. It was a magnifi- 
cent sight, for the conduct of the brigade was magnificent. 
The battle was bloody, but not protracted: in ten minutes 
after the order to charge was given, the enemy were fleeing in 
total rout; nor did they stop until they had crossed Pearl 
River. 

For so great results, the Federal loss was small — only two 
hundred and eighty-six; but all, except six or eight of the 
casualties, were from the 2d Brigade of Crocker's Division. 
The press of Illinois gave Logan the credit of fighting the 
battle of Jackson. It was all wrong. His command was not 
under fire ; nor did it lose a man, even by a stray shot. The 
general himself was at the front, where he always was, when 
there was any fighting to be done ; but he was only a spectator. 
He sat quietly on his horse, caressing his huge mustache, till 
word came of the flight of the enemy across the river, when he 
rode into the city. In his official report, General McPherson 
says: — " Colonel Sanborn was directed to send the flag of one 
of his regiments, which had borne itself most gallantly in the 
battle, and place it on the Capitol of the State of Mississippi, 
and shortly before four o'clock the flag of the 59th Indiana was 
proudly waving from the dome." The 59th Indiana "bore 
itself gallantly," but it did not fire a gun at Jackson. The 
10th Missouri, 17th Iowa and 80th Ohio made the charge, and 
captured the city ; and why the flag of the 59th first waved 
from the dome was, the regiments entitled to the honor had 
been left on the field, and could not be reached. Had General 
Crocker delayed five minutes longer, the colors of the 95th 
Ohio of Tuttle's Division, would have flaunted from the rebel 
Capitol. 

As soon as the fighting was done, General Crocker rode 
down his line to the 17th Iowa, and to the other regiments ol 
the brigade, and thanked them for their gallantry ; and as he 



MARCELLUS M. CROCKER. 261 

looked back on the hill-slope, where were lying the dead and 
, wounded, his eyes filled with tears, and his voice choked with 
I emotion. " Noble fellows," he said, "I am sorry, but we can 
not help it." 

Two days after the battle at Jackson, General Crocker com- 
manded his division at Champion's Hill. His own, with 
: Hovey's and Logan's Divisions, fought that battle— the 
bitterest of the whole campaign, if we except the charge on 
i the 22d of May ; but an account of this engagement has been 
already given. 

In June, 1863, General Crocker came North on sick leave. 
His health, always bad, had been rendered much worse by the 
hardships and exposures of the recent campaign, and he 
accepted his leave, at the urgent request of General Grant. 
There is a story connected with this sick leave, which illus- 
trates the kind-heartedness of General Grant, and which 
affords me pleasure to relate. On the return of General 
Quimby in the latter part of May, he resumed command of 
his old division, when General Crocker was placed temporarily 
upon the staff of General Grant. Crocker's tent being near 
that of Grant, the attention of the latter was attracted by the 
severe and almost incessant coughing of the former during the 
night; and, on meeting him the morning after, General Grant 
said: "General Crocker, was that you whom I heard coughing 
so last night?" "Yes," replied the general. "Well, then, 
my dear fellow, you must go straight home, for you will die 
here." 

The general was at his home in Des Moines, at the time the 
Union Gubernatorial Convention was held in that city. Dur- 
ing its session, he visited the hall of the Convention, and the 
eclat with which he was received, was a flattering testimonial 
of the esteem in which he was held by his State. He was the 
choice of the Convention for Governor of Iowa, and was 



262 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

earnestly solicited to accept the nomination ; but his answer 
was: "If a soldier is worth any thing, he can not be spared 
from the field ; and, if he is worthless, he will not make a 
good Governor." The argument was unanswerable, and his 
name was reluctantly dropped. 

Early in July, 1863, General Crocker returned to the field, 
and was given a division command, and made Commandant of 
the District of Natchez. While commanding at Natchez, he 
made his expedition to Harrisonburg, Louisiana. "The expe- 
dition consisted of the following troops: the 2d Brigade, 4th 
Division, Colonel C. Hall, 14th Illinois, commanding; tlie 3d 
Brigade, 4th Division, General AV. Q. Gresham commanding; 
Company F, 3d Illinois Battery, and the 15th Ohio Battery, 
with the 17th AVisconsin Infantry, mounted, commanded by 
Colonel Mallory." At Harrisonburg, the enemy were rei)orted 
in considerable force, and intrenched in strong works. The 
object of the expedition was to destroy these works and ord- 
nance proj^erty, and cajiture or disperse the rebel garrison. It 
resulted in the capture and burning of one small steamer on 
Black River at Trinity, the capture and destruction of Fort 
Beauregard at Harrisonburg, the destruction of all ammunition 
and six pieces of artillery ; and the capture of about twenty 
prisoners and two six-pound brass cannon. There was no 
battle — only trifling skirmishing. 

In the fall of 1863, General Crocker returned to Vicksburg, 
where he joined Sherman on the Meridian march. In the 
following Spring, he joined his corps (the 17th) in its march 
across the country to Georgia; but, on account of ill health, 
was relieved, and, early in the summer of 1864, was tendered a 
command in New Mexico, with head-quarters at Fort Sumner. 
Believing the climate would be beneficial to his health, the 
general accepted this command, since which time he has served 
in that department. 



MARCELLUS M. CROCKER. 263 

General Crocker is about five feet ten inches in hight, with a 
slender, nervous form, which can never pass one unnoticed. 
He has a passionate temper, and is plain-spoken, often saying 
things which, in his calmer moments, he would leave unsaid. 

His mode of discipline is severe and uncompromising, and a 
careless blunder he would never excuse. On one occasion, 
while in command of the Iowa Brigade, a general review was 
ordered, and great pains was taken to avoid all mistakes. One 
can imagine then what must have been the general's mortifica- 
tion to see Colonel , of his leading regiment, ride past the 

reviewing ofiicer, with his sword at a protracted "present." 

That was bad enough ; but next followed Colonel , whose 

regiment passed with arms at a " right-shoulder-shift." When 
the review was over, the regimental commanders were sum- 
moned to the general's head-quarters, when, beginning with 
the chief in rank, he administered the following rebuke : — 
"Now, Sir, aren't you a pretty man — and pretend to be a 
military man — and educated at a military school ! " " But — " 
(began the colonel, wishing to apologize) " Hush up, Sir. I'm 
doing the talking here." It all ended in a friendly chat, and 
in an order for a new review ; and there was no more mistakes. 

As a military man, General Crocker has been pre-eminently 
successful, not only as a disciplinarian, but as a bold and able 
leader. As a division commander, he has no superior in the 
State, and, what is a little remarkable, this fact is universally 
conceded. 

Nor was the general less successful as a civilian, than he has 
been as a soldier. Though young, he ranked, at the time of 
entering the service, among the best lawyers of Des Moines — 
the city which boasted one of the ablest bars in the State. 
C. C. Cole, ( now Judge of the State Supreme Court ) J. A. 
Kasson, (now Congressman from the 5th District) C. C. 
Nourse, (Attorney General of the State) T. F. Wi throw, 



264 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

(State Supreme Court Keporter) P. M. Cassady, (General 
Crocker's law-partner) General Williamson, Polk, Jewett, W. 
W. Williamson, Finch, St. John, EUwood, Rice, Clark, 
Mitchell, Ingersoll, Smith, Phillips, White, McKay and 
Brown, was Des Moines' roll of attorneys in the spring of 1861, 
and of these the general ranked among the very best, as an 
advocate and circuit practitioner. Some say that, in these 
respects, he led the Des Moines Bar. 



COLONEL JOHN SHANE. 

SECOND COLONEL, THIRTEENTH INFANTRY. 

John Shane was born in the county of Jefferson, Ohio, on 
the 26th of May, 1822, and was educated at Jefferson College, 
Pennsylvania. After graduating, he taught school for a few 
years in Kentucky, and then, returning to Ohio, studied 
law in the office of E. M. Stanton, Esq., now our honored 
Secretary of War. He was admitted to the bar at Steuben- 
ville, in 1848, where he continued in the practice till the year 
ISoo, when he removed to Vinton, Benton county, Iowa, his 
present home. 

Colonel Shane volunteered as a private in Company G, 13th 
Iowa Infantry; and, on its organization, was elected its cap- 
tain. This rank he held till the 30th of October, 1861, when 
he was elected to the majority of his regiment. At the battle 
of Shiloh, both Lieutenant-Colonel Price and Major Shane 
were severely wounded. The former soon after resigning his 
commission. Major Shane was promoted to the lieutenant- 
colonelcy. On the 13th of March, 1863, he succeeded General 
Crocker to the colonelcy of the 18th Iowa Infantry, which 
position he retained till the expiration of his three years' 
term of service. The principal portion of the history of this 
gallant regiment has been made under Colonel Shane; for, 
with the exception of Shiloh, it was under his command in all 
its engagements, prior to the fall of Atlanta. It is, however, 
but proper to state that, for several months after Colonel 
Crocker left his regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel Shane was 
indebted to him for its marked efficiency ; for, although in 

265 



266 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

command of a brigade and noniinally absent, the colonel was 
really the commanding officer of the regiment. 

I need not record in full the services of the 13th Iowa, for 
they are given elsewhere, in connection with the histories of 
the other regiments of the Iowa Brigade. Dating from the 
middle of April, 1SG2, the records of these regiments are almost 
precisely the same. 

Returning from General Grant's march into Central Missis- 
sippi in the \vinter of 1862-3, the 13th Iowa, with its brigade, 
returned to the line of the Memphis and Charleston Railroad, 
and, for a few weeks, went into camp at La Fayette, Tennessee. 
About tlie 20th of January, the brigade marched to Memphis, 
and on the 22d loft that city on transports for Young's Point, 
Louisiana. Plere the regiment remained for several weeks, 
furnishing heavy details to work on the celebrated Vicksburg 
Canal, which taps the Mississippi just below Young's Point. 
The services of the 13th Iowa and of the Iowa Brigade were, 
from this time till the following September, of the most annoy- 
ing and fatiguing nature. 

In the complicated movements around Vicksburg, which 
attended its investment and capture, the regiment acted a 
prominent part ; though the services performed were of such a 
nature as not to challenge special notice. General McArthur's 
Division, to which the Iowa Brigade was attached, was the last 
of the 17th Corps to leave the river above Vicksburg, in the 
march across the country to the river below that city. By the 
time this division had reached a point opposite Grand Gulf, 
the brilliant successes of General McClernand and two divis- 
ions of General McPherson's Corps had compelled the evacua- 
tion of this point ; and all that was now required of McArthur 
was to cross the river, and take possession of the place. This 
happened on the 6th of May, and, from that date until after 
the battles of Champion's Hill and Big Black River Bridge, 



JOHN SHANE. 267 

Grand Gulf was held by the Iowa Brigade, and made a sort of 
base from which Grant's army received its supplies, and where 
all surplus baggage was stored. 

There is an amusing and honest story connected with the 
occupation of Grand Gulf. Admiral D. D. Porter, since become 
celebrated on the coast of the Atlantic, had tried nearly one 
whole day to reduce this strong-hold, with his gun-boat fleet ; 
but he so far failed as not to silence a single gun. He still 
watched in the vicinity, and, when the garrison, flanked by 
McClernand and McPherson, were compelled to evacuate, at 
once entered and occupied the works, and labeled upon the 
breech of every gun, "Captured by Admiral D. D. Porter, 
May 6th, 1863." I suppose Admiral Porter did well at Fort 
Fisher, as, indeed, he did on the Mississippi; but, though he is 
a brave and efficient officer, General Ben. Butler is not the only 
one who has had occasion to "blow the froth from his lively 
porter.^'' 

On the 19th of May, at mid-night, the Iowa Brigade was 
ordered back by forced marches across the neck of land to 
Young's Point, and sent by boat up the Yazoo, to the assist- 
ance of Sherman; but, on its arrival, it was learned that 
Sherman had sufficient force, and it was ordered again to the 
left. It retraced its weary steps, and, crossing the Mississippi 
River near Warrenton, marched to the front, arriving on the 
evening of the memorable 22d of May, but too late to partici- 
pate in the general charge. 

What is true of the position of Grant's forces before Vicks- 
burg, on the morning of the 22d of May, is not generally 
known. The left of McClernand's Corps did not extend to the 
river below the city. A strip of country nearly seven miles 
in width, between INIcClernand's left and the river, was held 
by the enemy; and it was this gap in the line, which 
McArthur was ordered to fill, and which, when filled, 



268 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

completed the investment of Vicksburg. In coming into this 
position, the Iowa Brigade slcirmished nearly the entire day 
of the 22d, and, as I have said, arrived before the enemy's 
works, just after the disastrous charge. But this position 
was maintained by General McArthur only until the 2Gth of 
May, the date of the arrival of General Lauman's command ; 
for in the meantime, the enemy were reported to be concen- 
trating in heavy force in the direction of Yazoo City, and the 
Upper Big Black, for the purpose of moving on General 
Grant's rear, to raise the siege; and General Blair, with a 
picked command, consisting of McArthur's Division and other 
troops, was ordered out to disperse them. This, with the 
exception of the march to Monroe, Louisiana, and that one 
just recently made through the bottomless swamps of South 
Carolina, is the hardest one the Iowa Brigade ever made. It 
was made by forced marches, in the heat of a Southern sum- 
mer's sun, and through dust that was well-nigh suffocating. By 
those who participated in it, it will never be forgotten. But 
the march was the only thing of terror connected with the expe- 
dition ; for the enemy, who were met only in inconsiderable 
force near Mechanicsville, were dispersed with but few casual- 
ties. The expedition, however, was not without its good 
results; for, on its return by way of the fertile valley of the 
Yazoo, almost fabulous quantities of corn and cotton were 
destroyed. Five thousand head of cattle, sheep and hogs, too, 
were driven back to Grant's needy army. 

After the return of this expedition, the 13th Iowa, with its 
brigade, constituted a portion of the force with which General 
Sherman held at bay the rebel General Johnson, on the Big 
Black. On the 3d and 4th of July, the regiment skirmished 
with the enemy's advance, and, on their retreat to Jackson, 
followed in close pursuit. Next follows the expedition under 
Brigadier-General Stevenson, from Vicksburg to Monroe, 



JOHN SHANE. ^b^ 

Louisiana, which was made in the middle of August, 1863; and 
an account of which appears in the sketch of General J. M. 
Hedrick, formerly of the 15th Iowa. 

The following- Autumn, and the greater part of the following 
Winter, were passed by the 13th Iowa in camp at Vicksburg. 
It was at Vicksburg that the regiment re-enlisted as veteran 
volunteers. Immediately after the march to Meridian, in 
which the 13th joined, it returned North on veteran furlough. , 
The balance of its history has been made in the three wonder- 
ful marches of General Sherman — from Dalton to Atlanta, 
from Atlanta to Savannah, and from Savannah to Goldsboro 
and Washington. The regiment bore a conspicuous part in 
the memorable engagement of the 22d of July before Atlanta. 
Its loss was eleven killed, forty-two wounded, and ninety-six 
missing. Among the killed was the brave Major William A. 
Walker ; and among the wounded, Captain George McLaugh- 
lin and Lieutenants Wesley Huff, George B. Hunter, and 
Charles H. Hivskins. Captiun Pope, and Lieutenants Rice, 
Parker and Eyestone were captured. 

The aggregate loss of the 13th Iowa during the Atlanta Cam- 
paign I have failed to learn. 

That which has most contributed to give the regiment a 
National reputation is the part it acted, or a portion of it, in 
the capture of Columbia, South Carolina, on the 17th of Feb- 
ruary, 1865. The colors of the regiment, in the hands of 
Lieutenant-Colonel Justin C. Kennedy, were the first to flaunt 
from the capitol building of South Carolina. 

" Head-quabteks 4th Division, 17th Army Corps, 
" Near Columbia, S. C, February 17, 1865 

"Biugadier-General W. W. Belknap: 

usjj^._ Allow me to congratulate you, and through you, 
Lieutenant-Colonel J. C. Kennedy, 13th Iowa Veteran Volun- 
teers, and the men under his command, for first entering the 
city of Columbia on the morning of Friday, February 17th, 



270 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

and being the first to plant his colors on the Capitol of South 
Carolina. 

"I have the honor to be, very respectfully, 

" Your obedient servant, 

"Giles A. Smith, 
'■'■Brevet 3faj or- General Commanding.'''' 

Lieutenant-Colonel Kennedy is a resident of Vernon, Linn 
county, Iowa. He is thirty-two years of age, and a native of 
the State of New York. His name will live in American 
history. 

Colonel Shane is one of the largest of the Iowa colonels, his 
weight being two hundred and ten pounds. He has sandy 
hair, (perhaps red) a florid complexion and blue eyes, looking 
out through a large, round, good-natured face. He is of an 
easy, jovial nature, relishes a joke, and is fond of good living. 
He ranked fairly as a soldier, and was popular with his com- 
mand. 

At home and in private life, he is much respected. He is 
economical, and has secured a snug property. I am told he 
was one of the few officers of our army who Iionestly made 
money in the service. 

From the organization of the Republican Party in his county, 
he has been a prominent, working member. He was a dele- 
gate to the State Convention which re-nominated the Hon. 
Samuel J. Kirkwood for Governor of Iowa. 



COLONEL WILLIAM TUCKERMAN SHAW. 

FOURTEENTH INFANTRY. 

The belligerous Colonel Shaw is a native of the State of 

Maine, and was born in the town of Steuben, Washington 

county, on the 22d day of September, 1822. He received his 

education at the INIaine Wesleyan Seminary, and after leaving 

that; Institution removed to Kentucky, where he engaged in 

school teaching. He was in Kentucky at the time war was 

declared by our Government against Mexico, and enlisted in 

the 2d Kentu: ky Infantry regiment, commanded by the 

gallant Colonel William R. McKee. He served with his 

regiment till the close of the war, accompanying it on every 

march, and fighting with it in every engagement, in which it 

took part. He was present in the sanguinary battle of Buena 

Vista ; and was on that hill-slope, and in that ravine, where 

the battle raged with such fury, and where Colonel McKee was 

killed, and the chivalric Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Clay, Jr., 

mortally wounded. On the declaration of peace, he assisted in 

clearing our South-western borders of those hostile tribes of 

Indians, which were then so annoying to the frontier settlers. 

By his great courage and determination, Colonel Shaw 

attained notoriety, and, in 1849, was chosen the leader of the 

first party, which crossed the barren and trackless country 

lying between Fort Smith, Arkansas, and Santa Fe. This 

event at that day was quite notable; and the number and 

names of the party have been preserved. It was composed of 

thirty-six men— citizens of New York, Kentucky, Tennessee, 

Louisiana and Arkansas. In 1852, Colonel Shaw again crossed 

the plains, starting from Council Bluffs; and, this time, he was 

271 



272 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

accompanied by only one man. In 1853, he settled in Ana- 
mosa, Jones county, Iowa, where he has since resided. 

Colonel Shaw was made colonel of the 14th Iowa Infantry," 
on the 24th day of October, 1861 ; and held this rank till the 
summer of 1864, when he was dismissed the service. 

The first of the long and bloody series of battles in which 
the 14th Iowa has borne a conspicuous part was that of Fort 
Donel.-on. Though present at the capture of Fort Henry, the 
regiment was not engaged. In the engagement at Fort Don- 
elson, the 14th Iowa held the right of its brigade ; and, on the 
afternoon of the 13th, two days before the successful assault 
which was led by the left wing of the 2d Iowa, under Colonel 
Tuttle, charged the enemy's works in connection with the 25th 
Indiana. The object of this assault was the capture of a six- 
gun battery, and the enemy's line in front ; but through the 
failure of the 25th Indiana, under the immediate connnaiid of 
Colonel Lauman, to co-operate in the movement, no adv-iintage 
was gained, except that a slightly advanced jjosition was taken 
and held. 

On the afternoon of the loth of February, the 14th moved 
into the enemy's works to the right of the 2d Iowa, and soon 
after they had been entered by tliat regiment. In this day's 
fight the loss of the regiment was trifling — only one man 
killed, and seven wounded. On the afternoon of the 13th, 
it suffered more severely, losing two killed and fourteen 
wounded. 

In closing his official report of this engagement. Colonel 
Shaw says : 

" I may mention the valuable services rendered by Sergeant- 
Major S. H. Smith, who was shot dead by my side, while 
encouraging the men on to enter the breast-works of the 
enemy ; also 1st Lieutenant William W. Kirkwood, command- 
ing Company K, rendered very valuable assistance, in forming 



WILLIAM T. SHAW. 273 

the Hue in front of the enemy's breast-works. Captain War- 
ren C. Jones, of Company I, also rendered valuable service, in 
directing the fire of my marksmen, and, especially, in protect- 
ing the retiring of the skirmishers on the 13th instant." 

I am informed that Colonel Shaw was mistaken in the case 
of Lieutenant Kirkwood. Second-Lieutenant Charles P. 
King commanded Company K at Fort Donelson, and distin- 
guished himself. 

Sergeant I. N. Rhodes, of Company I, also distinguished 
himself. Just after his regiment had gained the enemy's rifle- 
pits, the 1st Missouri Battery was hurried up to a sally-port, 
near by, and opened on the enemy. It at once drew the fire of 
a six-gun rebel battery, to the right and front. The firing of 
the rebel guns was so rapid and accurate that, the lieutenant in 
command of one section of the Missouri Battery became 
frightened, and deserted his guns. A sergeant of the battery, 
however, named Bremer, stuck to his piece, and returned the 
fire of the enemy. Sergeant Rhodes, of the 14th Iowa, seeing 
the other pieces deserted, sprang forward with six men of his 
company, and continued to work them on the enemy, till 
darkness prevented their further use. 

From Fort Donelson, the 14th Iowa marched with its 
division to Pittsburg Landing, on the Tennessee. The dis- 
tinguished part which the 14th took in the sanguinary 
engagement of Shiloh, has been noticed in the sketches of 
Colonels Geddes and Woods. The 8th, 12th and 14th Iowa 
regiments stood side by side, at the time they were surrounded 
and captured— the 14th holding the centre, with the 12th on 
its right, and the 8th on its left. In speaking of the gallant 
conduct of Colonel Shaw's regiment in this engagement. Major 
Hamill, of the 2d Iowa Infantry, said : 

" They were to our left, and in plain view of us, until up to 
the time we learned of the flank movement of the enemy, and 
were ordered to fall back to save ourselves. The regiment can 
18 



274 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

not receive too much credit; for I never saw such splendid 
fighting- before nor since. They would lie quietly in line 
until the enemy was within fifteen or twenty paces, when they 
would rise and deliver a deadly fire, and then, in an instant, 
charge his line, which, in every instance, they did not fail to 
break, and force back in confusion." 

Colonel Shaw, who commanded his regiment in this engage- 
ment, was captured and retained a prisoner of war until the 
following October, when he was paroled at Richmond, and 
sent into our lines. The history of his hardships, during his 
six months' prison-life, is the same as are those of Major, 
now Governor Stone, Colonel Geddes, Captain, now General 
Hedrick, and others, who were captured during the first day's 
battle. 

The 14th Iowa, as also the other Iowa troops captured at 
Shiloh, were exchanged in the fall of 18G2, and sent to Annap- 
olis, Maryland. While at Annapolis, some of the officers 
telegraphed to General Halleck for permission to visit Wash- 
ington; and the general replied: "You can come. Such troops 
can go any where : your indomitable courage at Shiloh saved 
the Army of the Mississippi from total annihilation." The 
courage and endurance of these troops was appreciated by Gen- 
eral Beauregard, who is reported to have said, "We charged 
the centre [they held the centre] five distinct times, and could 
not break it." 

The history of the 14th Iowa Infantry, subsequently to its 
exchange and re-organization, and up to the time when the 
greater portion of it was mustered out of the service, is similar 
to that of the 32d Iowa. During the spring and summer of 
1863, it served at dififerent points on the Mississippi River, on 
garrison-duty ; but shortly before General A. J. Smith moved 
with his division from Memphis to Vicksburg, from which 
last named point he marched on the Meridian Expedition, the 
14th was brigaded with the 27th and 32d Iowa, and the 24th 



WILLIAM T. SHAW. 275 

Missouri. Colonel Shaw of the 14th Iowa was assigned to the 
command of this brigade; and, with it, saved the army of 
General Banks from defeat and capture at the battle of Pleasant 
Hill, Louisiana. 

In the fall of 1864, the 14th Iowa joined in the operations 
which were instituted for the expulsion of General Price's 
army from Missouri; soon after which the regiment was mus- 
tered out of the United States service; for it had foiled to 
re-enlist in sufficient numbers to entitle it to retain its organi- 
zation. Only two companies remained in the service. 

The 14th is the only Iowa regiment, from the 2d to the 17th, 
(and no others of the infantry troops came within the order) 
that lost its name and organization, on account of not re-enlist- 
ing. The reasons why the regiment refused to renew their 
enlistment need not be stated, for they involve an old feud, 
which should not be revived. 

A true history of the Red River Campaign will attribute the 
chief glory which attaches to the battle of Pleasant Hill, to 
the 2d Brigade, 3d Division, 16th Army Corps; (Colonel Wil- 
liam T. Shaw's command) for these troops saved the army of 
General Banks from destruction, on that day of terror. 

Rumor says that the army of General Steele should have 
been, at least, as far south as Camden, Arkansas, on the 8th of 
I April, 1864, the day on which General Banks first met the 
! enemy in strong force, some four miles east of Mansfield, 
: Louisiana. The object of both Banks and Steele was a com- 
mon one — the capture of Shreveport, and the destruction of 
the rebel army in Western Louisiana and Arkansas. Of the 
character of the orders under which these officers marched, I 
am ignorant ; but, had they co-operated as they should have 
done, the power of the Confederates would no doubt have been 
broken in the trans-Mississippi country. As it is, history 



276 IOWA COLOXET.S AND REGIMENTS. 

must record disa.strous defeat to the armies of both Steele and 
Banks. 

General Smith arrived with his command within one mile 
of Pleasant Hill, at sun-down on the evening of the 8th of 
April, 1864, and a little before the fighting of that day had 
closed at the front. That night, General Banks fell back with 
his troops of the 13th and 19th Corps ; and, early on the follow- 
ing morning, took up a position about one mile west of 
Pleasant Hill. At ten o'clock of the same morning, the com- 
mand of General Smith was ordered to the front. Colonel 
Shaw's Brigade led the advance, and took up a position on the 
Pleavsant Hill and Mansfield road. His own regiment was 
thrown across the road, and at nearly right angles with it. His 
right was held by the 24th Missouri, and his left by the 27th and 
32d Iowa— the 82d holding the extreme left. To the right of his 
command, was the brigade of General Dwight ; but the name 
of the brigade on the left, I am unable to give. Nor does it 
matter, since it fled at the first onset of the enemy. No sooner 
had Colonel Shaw brought his command into line, than the 
skirmishers of the enemy were encountered ; and then, after 
an interval of long and harrowing suspense, followed the fierce 
and sanguinary conflict of Pleasant Hill, the details of which 
are given in the sketch of Colonel John Scott, of the 32d Iowa 
Infantry. 

For the part taken by the 14th regiment in this engagement, 
I refer to the official report of Lieutenant-Colonel, then Captain 
W. C. Jones: 

" The regiment moved out to the front with the brigade to 
which it was attached, at a few minutes before eleven o'clock 
A. M., taking position upon the line parallel with an open 
field, the right resting upon a road immediately in the rear of 
the 25th New York Battery. Company I, under command of 
2d Lieutenant G. H. Logan, Company K, under command of 
Captain W. J. Campbell, were deployed as skirmishers toward 



WILLIAM T. SHAW. 277 

the centre of the field. Their left was resting upon the 
skirmish line of the 27th Iowa. Skirmishing occurred at 
[intervals, until 4 o'clock P. M., when the enemy advanced by 
a cavalry charge— our skirmishers rallying in their proper 
places, the 2oth New York Battery fell in the rear of us. We 
reserved our fire until the enemy v/ere in easy pistol range, 
when we opened a fire upon them, which almost annihilated 
them. Horses and riders rolled almost within our lines. This 
charge was followed by an advance of infantry in two lines, 
when the conflict became general. The enemy was repulsed in 
front with heavy slaughter. The second line advanced upon our 
front, and a line at right angles upon our right flank, opening a 
terrible cross-fire. Our right was changed in the new direction 
to meet the new line. In this bloody cross-fire, our lamented 
Lieutenant-Colonel J. H. Newbold, fell from his horse, mor- 
tally wounded, the ball passing through his body from the 
right breast, disabling his left arm. There, also fell Lieuten- 
ant Logan, Lieutenant McMillen, and Lieutenant Shanklin, 
ofiicers beloved by all, nobly laying their bodies a bleed- 
ing sacrifice upon their country's altar. The long list of 
casualties below, clearly indicate the unreproachable bravery 
and indomitable will of the regiment. Upon the foil of 
Lieutenant-Colonel Newbold, I assumed command of the 
regiment, and I tender most hearty thanks to the officers, 
commissioned and non-commissioned and privates, for the 
gallant manner in which they sustained their reputation, 
gained upon the bloody fields of Donelson, Shiloh, Corinth, 
De Russy and Pleasant Hill. 

"I withdrew the regiment, with the rest of the brigade, by 
your order, at six o'clock P. M." 

Among the wounded of the 14th Iowa in this engagement, 
were Lieutenant Holmes, and Sergeants Ford, Parmenter, 
Nichol and M. L. Roberts — the last mortally. Private S. 
J. Parker had his head blown completely off by a shell. 

Disregarding former services, his conduct in this engagement 
alone should have made Colonel Shaw a brigadier-general ; but 
he was disgusted with the weakness of certain general officers, 
and the exhibitions of his manly wrath procured his dismissal 
from the service. He was dismissed for publishing a letter 



278 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

in the Dubuque "Times," from wliich the following is an 
extract : 

" I reported to General Emery at about ten o'clock in the 
morninj,^: he then appeared to be both drunk and a coward. I 
relieved General McMillan, who was drunk. I did not see 
General Emery again till after dark, and the fighting had 
ceased. He was then beastly drunk. I saw General Stone, 
General Banks' Chief of Staff, thirty minutes before the main 
attack was made, and pointed out to him my position, which 
he approved and said it must be held at all hazards." 

I am informed by officers, who were with Colonel Shaw at 
the battle of Pleasant Hill that he stated in his letter nothing 
but the truth ; but, though that b(^ so, the publication of the 
letter was an ill-judged act, and in violation of wise and 
imperative rules. The colonel received his dismissal in the 
fall of 1864, and while he was with his command in Missouri, 
aiding to drive Price from that State. He returned at once to 
his home in Anamosa. 

The last three months' service of the 14th Iowa was per- 
formed in Missouri. After the death of Colonel Newbold, the 
regiment was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel W. C. Jones, 
the original and celebrated " Paul Bentley," who, in the winter 
of 18G2-3, entrapped Mrs. Jeff Thompson and Rosa at St. Louis. 
The history of this affair need not be repeated. I will only add 
the compliment the colonel received from General Curtis. 
"You have," he said, "done me more service than all my 
troops stationed at St. Louis." 

The 14th Iowa, with its division, took part, during the 
month of October and a portion of September, in driving Gen- 
eral Price from Missouri. Leaving Memphis on the steamer 
JBostona, the 5th of September, it arrived by way of Cairo at 
Jefferson Barracks, and, after a stay of a few days, left for Pilot 
Knob. It left at mid-night of the 24th of September. Part of 
the regiment was distributed along the Iron Mountain Railroad 



WILLIAM T. SHAW. 279 

for purposes of defense, while the balance went forward with 
General Ewing to Pilot Knob. 

Having been re-called to Jefferson Barracks, or that portion 
of it stationed along the railroad, it left with its division for 
Jefferson City, and marched thence to Tii)ton. From the last 
named point, it returned to St. Louis without meeting the 
enemy, and, on the Gth of November, reached Camp Kinsman, 
Davenport. Here the non-veterans were mustered out, and 
the others — two companies, as I have before stated — were 
organized into the Residuary Battalion. This battalion, which 
has since served at Camp Butler, Illinois, was officered as fol- 
lows :— Company A: Hugo Hoffbauer, captain; Joseph D. 
McClure, 1st lieutenant; Addison Davis, 2d lieutenant. 
Company B: Orville Burke, captain ; Thomas B. Beach, 1st 
lieutenant ; Perry L. Smith, 2d lieutenant. 

Colonel Shaw is of only medium size, being five feet and ten 
inches in hight, and sparely built ; though there is something 
about him which makes him appear larger. He is rough and 
abrupt in his manners, is careless in dress, and by no means 
comely in person. His eyes are gray and deep-set, and his 
cheek-bones prominent. His mouth is large, and has about it 
an expression of stubbornness, which, I believe, is his most 
prominent trait of character. 

Colonel Shaw is a man of great experience, and large and 
varied acquirements. Indeed, there seems to be no profession 
or science, with which he is not, in a good degree, familiar. 
He can talk law, divinity or physic; and, by his blunt shrewd- 
ness, surprises even those who, by these callings, obtain a 
livelihood. In nearly all questions, he is noted for assuming 
the negative; and, when once interested, he will talk and 
argue from morning till night. Many days of his prison-life 
were passed in this way. In prison. Major, now Governor 
Stone, was his chief opponent. 



280 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

It is a mystery to some why Colonel Shaw was never made 
a brigadier-general. He was brave and efficient in the field, 
and never met the enemy without distinguishing himself; 
and many, destitute of these qualifications, have been made 
general officers. He doubtless would have been promoted, 
had he been more reticent on the conduct and merits of his 
superiors. It was against his nature to let a blunder pass 
unnoticed ; and he would quarrel with a superior, sooner than 
with a subordinate. 



BRIGADIER-GENERAL HUGH T. REID. 

FIRST COLONEL, FIFTEENTH INFANTRY. 

Hugh Thompson Reid was born in Union county, Indiana, 
the 8th day of October, 1811. His father, who was a native of 
South Carolina, had left that State only a year before his son 
Hugh's birth. General Reid worked on his father's farm, in 
Indiana, till the year 1830, when he entered the Miami Uni- 
versity, then under the tutorship of Professor Bishop. He 
graduated at the Indiana College, in 1837. Choosing the law 
for a profession, he studied for two years in the office of Judge 
Perry of Liberty, Indiana, and was then admitted to the bar. 
He came to Keokuk, Iowa, in 1843, and began the practice of 
his profession. Keokuk has since remained his home. 

General Reid first became widely known in Southern Iowa, 
from his connection with the Keokuk and Des Moines River 
Railroad: indeed, to his energy and perseverance, more than 
to the efibrts of any other man, this road is indebted for its 
existence. At one time its abandonment was talked of; but he 
would not consent, and the work was pushed forward. Its 
present flourishing condition evidences the soundness of his 
judgment. 

Late in the summer of 1861, General Reid began recruiting a 
regiment for the service. Then, recruiting dragged heavily. 
On every hand he met with discouragements; but he finally 
succeeded, for he never turned his back on an enterprise once 
undertaken. The loth Iowa Infantry was mustered into the 
United States service on the 22d day of February, 1862. 

The 15th Iowa left its rendezvous in Keokuk on the 17th of 

March, 1862, and, after a stay of only ten days in St. Louis, 

281 



282 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

proceeded to the front. At St. Louis the regiment received its 
arms and camp equipage. It arrived at Pittsburg Landing at 
six o'cloclc on Sunday morning, the first day of the battle. Its 
opening chapter was an eventful one. It fired its first gun at 
Shiloh. 

General Grant's head-quarters were then at Savannah, 
eight miles below, on the river; and at that point Colonel Reid 
had, the night before, been assigned to the division of General 
Prentiss. On arriving at the Landing, on the morning of the 
sixth, his first business was to report to that general, and, 
mounting his horse, he rode out toward the front for that pur- 
pose; but for some reason, he did not reach the front till the 
battle had opened with great fierceness, and he was unable to 
effect his olyect. He therefore returned to the river, and, dis- 
embarking his regiment, drew it up in line on the high bluffs, 
and waited for orders. It was now hardly nine o'clock, and 
yet the frightful stamj)ede had already begun. Long lines of 
fugitives, many of them hatless and coatless, and all of them 
frightened to desperation, came streaming to the river-bank, 
and nothing could stop them. 

Colonel Reid first received orders to arrest these fugitives, 
and effect their re-organization ; but it was utterly impossible, 
and he was therefore, after considerable delay, ordered to pro- 
ceed hastily to the front. 

I have already stated that the 15th Iowa received their arms 
at St. Louis, just before embarking for the front : it is therefore 
unnecessary to add that the regiment had never been instructed 
in the manual of arms. In the process of loading and firing, 
they were all novices; but it was fortunate that they were 
nearly all of them accustomed to a gun, and could handle it 
with efficiency. 

Under the guidance of a staff officer of General McClernand, 
and followed by the 16th Iowa, Colonel Chambers, Colonel 



HUGH T. EEID. 283 

Reid started with his regiment for the front ; and, after a long, 
circuitous march occasioned by the ignorance or confusion of 
the guide,— first to the right, in almost the opposite direction 
from where the firing was the heaviest, and then to the left in 
a south-westerly direction — finally entered a large, open field, 
the west side of which was bordered by timber and held by 
the enemy. On his right, too, the field was bordered with 
timber and held by the enemy; and here they had artillery 
in position, with which, as soon as he came into view, they 
opened on him with great vigor. They used shell, grape and 
canister, and fired with precision ; but Colonel Reid, heedless 
of danger, advanced to engage the enemy in his front. He 
was so confident, or so forgetful, that he did not even take the 
precaution to deploy his regiment in line of battle; but 
marched it by the right flank, into the very face of the 
enemy. Some of his regiment said after the engagement that, 
if the enemy had opened their lines, he would have marched 
straight through and been captured ; but it is needless to say 
that these were the colonel's enemies. 

When he had reached a point where he was met both in front 
and on the right by a most galling fire, he drew his regiment 
(mt into line of battle ; and the manner in which he did it, 
showed his great courage. He first filed it to the left, in a line 
parallel to that of the enemy, and then counter-marched it 
into a position to return the enemy's fire. All this time he 
was suffering loss. Such coolness must have been a strange 
spectacle to the enemy; and such troops they must have 
encountered with hesitancy. 

As soon as the regiment was brought to a front, it engaged 
the enemy, first by a rapid fire, and then with the bayonet ; 
and thus the struggle continued for nearly two hours, when, 
flanked on both the right and left, the order to fall back was 
given. The regiment fell back, as did nearly all the troops on 



284 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

that field, in confusion. But that is not strange: what is 
strange, is how, undisciplined as -it was, the regiment main- 
tained itself so long, and with such courage. 

About this time, Colonel Reid was severely wounded. A 
shot struck him in the neck, and paralyzed him. Seeing him 
fall from his horse, Major Belknap ran to hiiii, and raised him 
up, when he said: "Tell my wife that I died gloriously, fight- 
ing for my country." Brave man! He tliought he was hit 
mortally— c?wfc(3 pro patria mori; but it fortunately proved 
otherwise. He revived in a half-hour, and resumed command 
of his shattered regiment. 

There are various accounts of the i)articular part taken by 
the loth Iowa at Shiloh : indeed, hardly two men of the regi- 
ment saw the thing alike. One says the regiment did not file 
left in coming into line, but that it formed "forward on first 
company." Another gays that, a portion of the regiment filed 
left, and the other right, and thus got separated, (which is 
true) ; and still another that, it engaged the enemy across a 
large ravine, to the right and front, while standing by the 
right flank and before it was formed in line of battle. To 
show how great was the confusion, I may further add that, one 
of the regiment's field officers, the day after the battle had 
closed, was not able to find the field in which the fighting was 
done. 

The following is Colonel Beid's statement of casualties, and 
his roll of honor : 

" Fifteen of the thirty-two commissioned officers, who went 
on the field, had been killed, wounded, or taken prisoners: 
twenty-two officers and men had been killed, and one hundred 
and fifty-six wounded. 

"Adjutant Pomutz distinguished himself during the action, 
for his coolness and courage. He, too, was wounded. Cap- 
tains Kittle, of Company A ; Smith, of Company B ; Seevers, 
of Company C ; Madison, of Company D ; Hutchcraft, of Com- 
pany E ; Cunningham, of Company G ; Day, of Company I ; 



HUGH T. REID. 285 

and Hedrick, of Company K, who was captured in a charge 
upon the enemy, all distinguished themselves for their gal- 
lantry and courage, in leading forward and encouraging 
their men. Captain Blackmar, of Company F, was wounded 
in the action, and disabled; 1st Lieutenant Goode of the same 
company was also wounded. Captain Clark, of Company H, 
was not in the engagement, having been left sick in the hos- 
pital at St. Louis. Captains Hutchcraft and Day were both 
severely wounded. Second Lieutenant Penniman of Company 
A, and Hamilton of Company I, were killed whilst bravely 
performing their duty. Plrst Lieutenant King, and 2d Lieu- 
tenant Danielson of Company H, were both severely wounded, 
while acting well their part, thus leaving the company without 
a commissioned otiicer. First Lieutenants Studer, of Company 
B ; Porter, of Company D ; Craig, of Company E ; Hanks, of 
Company G ; J. Monroe Beid, of Company I, who, though 
wounded himself, continued in command of the company after 
the captain was disabled and the 2d Lieutenant killed; and 
Eldridge, of Company K ; all deserve special praise for the 
manner in which they conducted themselves on the field. 
Second Lieutenants Lanstrum, of Company B; Brown, of 
Company E; Herbert, of Company C; and Sergeant-Major 
Brown, who was severely wounded, conducted themselves 
well on the field. The non-commissioned officers generally, 
were at their posts, and performed their duty. The color-Ser- 
geant, Newton J. Rogers, who fought in the 1st Iowa at 
Springfield, gallantly bore our standard forward, and planted 
it among the enemy, where it was bravely maintained and 
defended by portions of Companies C, E, I, and K. * * The 
Reverend W. W. Eastbrook, too, for a time laid aside his 
sacred office, and resumed the use of the surgeon's scalpel with 
great success." 

In no respect is Colonel Reid too lavish of his praise. The 
\Uh Iowa did nobly. During the war, no cruder troops have 
met the enemy; and but few have borne themselves with 
greater credit. 

In the retreat from the front to the Landing, Captain Kittle, 
of the loth Iowa, a handsome and brave young officer, was 
reported the hero of an incident which I would like to tell, 



286 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

but it is not well vouched for. The following is true. Soon 
after arriving at the Landing, a lieutenant-colonel — a staff 
officer — rode up to the frightened crowd on the river bank, 
and shouted: "Is there no officer here ?" Captain Kittle step- 
ping forward said: "Yes, Sir, I am an infantry officer: what 
shall I do?" "For God's sake, organize these men, and bring 
them out to the new line." Going at the work, he gathered in 
line, by threats and entreaties, a respectable battalion, and 
started with them to the front ; but the greater part of them 
were so filled with terror, that they soon broke and fled back 
to the Landing. With the balance, he went on and took part 
in repelling the last assaults of the enemy, that were made 
that afternoon. There were many other instances of special 
gallantry among the line officers of the 15th Iowa; and the 
names of Captains Iledrick, Madison and Blackmar ; and 
Lieutenant J. S. Porter, may be mentioned specially, for their 
conduct was admirable. 

Colonel Reid continued with his regiment till the 23d of 
April, 1SG:3, when he received his commission as brigadier- 
general. A portion of this time he had been in command of a 
brigade. Subsequently to the battle of Shilon, and up to the 
time he received his promotion, the history of his regiment is 
the same as that of the other regiments of the Iowa Brig- 
ade. General Reid was promoted to the rank of brigadier on 
the special recommendation of General Grant ; and the general 
may well be proud of this compliment; for General Grant, 
knowingly, never compliments the undeserving. 

During the spring of 18G3, and till the Gth of the following 
August, General Reid commanded the District of Lake Provi- 
dence, with the following named troops comprising his com- 
mand: the 16th Wisconsin, the 122d Illinois, portions of the 
17th and 95th Illinois, and the 1st Kansas Mounted Infantry. 
At the last named date, orders were given for the evacuation 



HUGH T. REID. ' 287 

of the place. They were issued on account of the sickliness of 
the locality. After visiting his family on leave of absence, the 
general was placed in command at Cairo, Illinois. He was 
holding this command at the time of tendering his resignation, 
which was in the spring of 1864. 

Colonel Reid does not look like the man he is. From what 
he has accomplished, I judge him to be a man of more than 
ordinary ability. He is tall, and slightly stooping in person, 
has coarse features, and a large, sandy, bushy head. He has 
large perceptive organs, and small, gray eyes, sunk deeply in 
his head. He is perhaps a little more comely than Colonel 
Shaw of the 14th, but not much. 

In character, he is brave and determined. A neighbor of 
his, of long acquaintance, speaks thus of him: 

"In the early history of the Half-Breed Tract in Lee county, 
which included the city of Keokuk, there was much trouble 
al)out titles to real estate, and at times, a state of things border- 
ing upon civil war. In these contests. General Reid was 
conspicuous, and had to undergo many dangers. On several 
occasions, his life was threatened by an infuriated mob ; but 
he maintained his rights with so much courage, as to secure a 
local fame for prowess, which, more recently, has become 
national, by his military achievements." 

In the essentials, General Reid was a fine soldier. He was 
brave, and had good judgment; but he could never master 
tactics. "He could not," say many of his regiment, "drill a 
company, to say nothing about a regiment;" and many 
instances are given, showing how he used to handle his regi- 
ment. In passing an obstacle, he once gave the following 
command: "File left, boys; and follow my horse round this 
stump!" But his regiment noticed this deficiency more, on 
account of the great contrast, in this respect, between himself 
and his successors. Generals Belknap and Hedrick. Both those 
officers are fine tacticians. 



288 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

The following incident occurred while General Reid was 
colonel of the 15th Iowa: He was stationed with his regiment 
at Lake Providence, Louisiana, in February, 1863, when Adju- 
tant-General Thomas visited Grant's army, to institute negro 
recruiting; for the Government had at last come to the 
conclusion that, for a black man to shoot a rebel, was no mur- 
der. McArthur's Division, of McPherson's Corps, was drawn 
up in hollow square, and addressed by Generals Thomas, 
McPherson and McArthur. Finally, Colonel Reid was called 
to the stand. Some oflScers of his regiment felt anxious for 
him ; but he soon relieved their minds, for he made the best 
speech of them all. 



BRIGADIER-GENERAL W. W. BELKNAP. 

SECOND COLONEL, FIFTEENTH INFANTRY. 

William Worth Belknap, the successor of Colonel Beid 
to the colonelcy of the loth Iowa Infantry, is a son of the late 
General Belknap, who, as a colonel, distinguished himself in 
the Mexican War. Entering the United States Army in 
1812, the late General Belknap continued in the service till the 
day 'of his death. For his efhcicnt services in the Mexican 
War, he was made a brevet brigadier-general. He died in 
Texas soon after the publication of peace, and near the fort 
bearing his own name. He was, at the time of his death, 
traveling in an ambulance from one portion to another of his 

command. 

William, the subject of this sketch, was born in the year 
1880, at Newburg, New York. He was named after General 
William J. Worth, a warm friend of his father's family. In 
I about the year 1856, he came to Iowa, and located in the city 
j of Keokuk. Prior to coming to Iowa, General Belknap had 
I studied the law, and, soon after settling in Keokuk, he entered 
I upon its practice. As a lawyer, he was quite successful. He is 
one of the few young attorneys, who, settling at that day in 
the city of Fast Living and High Prices, was able to secure a 
paying practice, and establish himself as a permanent resident. 
He was engaged in the practice of his profession at the out- 
break of the war, and till as late as the fall of 1861, when he 
abandoned it to enter the service. 
j In compliment for his successful efforts in assisting to recruit 

' the 15th Iowa Infantry, he was commissioned major of the 
reo-iment. With this rank he accompanied it to the field. On 

19 289 



290 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

the promotion of Lieutenant-Colonel Dewey to the colonelcy 
of the 23cl Iowa Infantry, he was made lieutenant-colonel, and 
still later — the 22d of April, 18G3 — was commissioned colonel, 
vice Colonel Reid, promoted to a general officer. 

If we except General Belknap's services at the battle of 
Corinth, where he distinguished himself, his military record, 
that has made his name familiar in Iowa, and secured his 
appointment as brigadier-general, was almost wholly made 
in General Sherman's campaign against Atlanta. The same is 
true of his old regiment. Brigaded with the 11th Iowa, the 
13th and 16th ever since the spring of 18G2, the history of 
the loth Iowa is almost identical with that of these regiments. 
It took part in the battle of Corinth, October 3d and 4th, 
1862; but, with this exception, the 15th, with the balance of 
the Iowa Brigade, escaped every hard-fought battle until the 
spring of 1864 ; and this, too, notwithstanding it was always in 
the front, and present in the Department that, of all others, 
was characterized by its bloody battle-fields and vigorous cam- 
paigns. 

Of the different regiments of the Iowa Brigade, the 15th most 
distinguished itself at the battle of Corinth. The following is 
from Colonel Crocker's report, the brigade commander: 

*'The execution of the order to move back had just com- 
menced, when the enemy, in greatly-superior force, attacked 
the front of the line (the 15th and 16th Iowa). The officers and 
men of these regiments, acting with signal determination and 
bravery, not only held the enemy in check, but drove him 
back, and held their position, until notice was received that 
the artillery had passed safely to the rear, when they were 
ordered to fall back and form in line of battle on the right of 
the second line, which they did in good order, the enemy 
declining to follow. This engagement lasted three-quarters of 
an hour. The firing was incessant, and the regiments, especi- 
ally the loth, suffered severely. I deem it my especial duty to 
particularly mention Lieutenant-Colonel Belknap, who com- 



WILLIAM W. BELKNAP. 291 

manded the 15th regiment. This regiment was under the 
hottest fire, and Colonel Belknap was everywhere along the 
line, mounted, and with sword in hand encouraging, by voice 
and gesture, his men to stand their ground." * * * 

The opening of General Sherman's campaign in the spring 
of 1864, forms a new and sanguinary chapter in the history of 
the Iowa Brigade. Keturning from veteran furlough, the 
brigade proceeded to the front at Kenesaw Mountain, after 
which, for nearly sixty days, it was almost constantly under 
fire; and its scores of killed and wounded, during this period, 
are witnesses of its conspicuous gallantry. From the time the 
enemy was flanked at Kenesaw Mouni;ain, till he was forced 
back to and into his entrenchments at Atlanta, there were few 
engagements in which this brigade did not take part. But the 
greatest battle of the campaign was precipitated, just at the 
time it was supposed the contest for the Gate City had closed. 
During the greater part of the night of the 21st of July, 
1864, the rumbling of artillery, and the confusion so common 
in the movements of large bodies of men, were distinctly heard 
by our troops, in the direction of the enemy; and it was sup- 
posed by many that, General Hood was evacuating Atlanta; 
McPherson thought otherwise, and was anxious and watchful. 
In the disposition of our forces in this engagement, the 17th 
Army Corps held the left, and on the extreme left of this corps, 
was the Iowa Brigade. The position held by this brigade, was 
a commanding ridge on the east side of the McDonough road, 
and almost at right angles with the main line of battle, which 
was west of, and nearly parallel with, the above named road. 
The head-quarters of the 15th Iowa were not more than two 
and a half miles north of the Atlanta and Macon Railroad, and 
about three miles south-east of the city of Atlanta. The coun- 
try on every side was broken, and for the most part, heavily 
wooded; but that portion lying in the direction of the Macon 



292 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

road, was more especially so. In this dense timber, General 
Hood had massed his forces on the evening of the 21st instant. 
At a little after twelve o'clock on the afternoon of the 22d, 
Colonel Belknap and Lieutenant-Colonel Hedrick had just 
seated themselves for dinner, when the first gun of the senti- 
nels was fired. The suddenness of the enemy's attack was 
unprecedented. Colonel Belknap had barely time to buckle 
on his sword, and hurry from his head-quarters to the front of 
his regiment, when the line of skirmishers was driven in. 
Almost at the same instant, the enemy was seeTi coming at 
double-quick, and in a line of battle, nearly at right angles 
Avith that of General Blair's along the McDonough road. In 
the suddenness of his attack, the rebel general was aping 
Napoleon. He doubtless expected to force in our line, as one 
would slide in the sections of a telescope, thus crowding the 
Army of the Tennessee together in hopeless confusion ; but he 
had reckoned without his host. The Iowa Brigade, having 
hastily formed, met and repulsed the assaults of the enemy in 
their front; when, his centre being repulsed, his left and right 
wing swung round to the Federal front and rear. And in this 
way, is accounted for the almost incredible story of our troops 
fighting, first on the one, and then on the other side of their 
intrenchments. Subjected to a galling artillery-fire, and now 
well-nigh surrounded,<'olonel Belknap had no other alterna- 
tive than to retire, which he did, in a north-westerly direction,- 
and across the McDonough road. During that afternoon, the 
15th Iowa fought in seven distinct positions ; and its losses are 
proof of the stubbornness with which each was contested. The 
following were among the gallant dead: Lieutenants Logan 
W. Crawford and E. M. Gephart. The latter was killed in 
the regiment's fourth position. Seeing, as he thought, a small 
detachment of the enemy in cover not far distant, he rallied a 
few volunteers, and rushed out to capture them; but they 



WILLIAM W. BELKNAP. 293 

proved to be quite a large force. He turned to retreat to his 
regiment, but was shot before he reached it. He was a young 
man of much promise. 

The loss of the 15th Iowa in killed, wounded and missing, 
was one hundred and fifty-three. Lieutenant-Colonel Hedrick 
was severely wounded, as was also his brother, Captain Hed- 
rick. Lieutenant W. P. L. Muir was wounded for the fourth 
time in the head, and was captured. Lieutenants Evans and 
Scheevers were also severely wounded. 

At one time during the engagement, the loth Iowa was 
assaulted by the 45th Alabama Infantry, Colonel Lampley. 
The 15th in this instance was protected by earth-works, and 
literally slaughtered its assailants, wdiile they were rushing to 
the onset with the most determined bravery. Only a few of 
the entire rebel regiment reached the foot of the works, and of 
these, one was killed, and the others either wounded or cap- 
tured. Colonel Lampley was captured by Colonel Belknaj^ in 
person. Connected with this charge of the 45tli Alabama, was 
an amusing incident. A young boy, of the genuine chivalry, 
was among the party that reached the foot of the works. After 
the assault had been repelled, and the firing had slackened. 
Colonel Belknap stepped up on the works to secure his pris- 
oners ; but he had no sooner exposed his person than the young 
boy fired on him. The ball passed under his chin and cut 
through his whiskers. He was enraged and, seizing the boy 
by the hair of the head, dragged him over the works ; but, in 
spite of himself he could not help admiring the pluck of the 
young rascal. 

For his gallantry in this and in other battles of the cam- 
paign, Colonel Belknap, on the recommendation of General 
Sherman, was appointed a brigadier-general. After receiving 
his commission, he succeeded Colonel Hall of the 11th Iowa, in 



294 IOWA COLONELS AND BEGIMENTS. 

the command of the Iowa Brigade, which he has held ever 
since. 

General Belknap is about five feet, eleven inches in hight, 
and rather portly. His eyes, which are dark-blue and very 
expressive, are his handsomest feature. In his manners he is 
rather dignified ; but he is educated and refined, and a favorite 
in the social circle. 

In the legal practice, he did not excel as an advocate. He 
made no pretensions to oratory; but, in preparing a case for 
trial, he had few equals. It was a rare thing for a demurrer to 
be sustained to one of his pleadings. 

At the time of entering the army, he was reputed an able 
and honorable business-man. In the army he has been known 
as a good disciplinarian, a brave ofiicer, and a warm friend to 
the soldier. His neighbors in Keokuk look upon his brilliant 
military career with much pride. 



BREVET BRIGADIER-GENERAL J. M. HEDRICK. 

THIRD COLONEL, FIFTEEXTH INFANTRY. 

John Morrow Hedrick is a native of Indiana, the State 
which stands third, in the number of her sons, who, in Iowa, 
have been honored with colonel's commissions. He is a son of 
J. W. Hedrick, Esq., a resident of AVapello countj-, and an 
intelligent and influential farmer. 

General Hedrick was born in Rush county, Indiana, the 
16th day of December, 1832. In the year 1846 he accompanied 
his father's family to Iowa, where he has since resided. His 
means of education were limited. He never entered the halls 
of an academy or a college as a student. He acquired his edu- 
cation at the Common Schools, and at his father's fireside ; but, 
notwithstanding his limited advantages, he had, at the age of 
seventeen, qualified himself for a teacher. From the age of 
seventeen to that of twenty, he passed his Winters in teaching, 
and his Summers on his father's farm. In 1852, he entered a 
mercantile house as clerk. Soon he became a partner in the 
business, and, ere long, proprietor of the house. With the 
exception of two years, when he was engaged in the real-estate 
business, his entire attention, from 1852 till the beginning of 
the war, was turned to mercantile pursuits. But he was unfor- 
tunate in some investments. In 1857-8, he had risked much in 
land speculations; and, like the great majority of those who at 
that time dealt in wild lands, suffered pecuniary losses. 

In August, 1861, General Hedrick closed out his business in 

Ottumwa, for the express purpose of entering the service, and, 

before the close of that month, had enlisted a sufiicient number 

of men to entitle him to a first lieutenant's commission. Before 

295 



29G IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

entering the service, lie hud held commissions as second lieu- 
tenant and captain in an independent military company of the 
city of Ottumwa; but this company existed only in name, and 
the knowledge of military matters, which he derived from his 
connection with it, was of no importance: indeed, in this 
respect, he was as purely a civilian as any officer that has gone 
out from the State. 

General Hedrick was commissioned 1st Lieutenant of Com- 
pany D, 15th Iowa Infantry, the 20th day of September, 1861, 
and on the 23d of the following December was made quarter- 
master of that regiment. While the regiment was at its 
rendezvous in Keokuk, he was promoted to the captaincy of 
Company K, and with this rank he entered the field. 

Shiloh, as has already been stated, was the loth Iowa's first 
battle ; and the part taken by the regiment in this engagement 
has been already given. Captain Hedrick here distinguished 
himself, and was wounded and taken prisoner. At the time 
the regiment made its partially successful assault against the 
enemy, and just when the left wing was overpowered and 
forced back by overwhelming numbers, he was wounded, and 
instantly surrounded and captured. Being taken to the rear 
he, with about two hundred and fifty other officers, was for- 
warded to Corinth, and thence by rail to Memphis; where he 
arrived on the night of the 8th, near mid-night. Hustling 
the prisoners rudely from the cars, the Confederates huddled 
them, both officers and men, into a large store-room, where 
they guarded them that night, and where, for the first time 
since their capture, they issued them rations. It had been 
more than fifty hours since they had tasted food, and now they 
received only raw bacon and rotten bread. 

But in the meantime the issue of the battle having been 
decided, the enemy became apprehensive, not only of the 



JOHN M. HEDRICK. 297 

capture of Corinth, but of Memphis; for a fleet of Union gun- 
boats was, at that very time, lying only a few miles above the 
city. The Union prisoners were therefore, on the morning of 
the 9th, hurried on board the cars, in crder to be sent South; 
but for some reason the train did not leave till evening. 

At that time, the fiendish cruelties practiced by the Confed- 
erates upon all Union people within their lines, had not 
purged the city of Memphis of all Union sentiment; for, 
during the entire day of the 9th, hundreds of her citizens 
crowded closely around the carefully-guarded train, which con- 
tained the prisoners, speaking kind words and, whenever 
occasion offered, tendering more substantial testimonials of 
their sympathy. But the story of the sufferings of Union 
prisoners of war has been often told, and need not be here 
repeated. 

The sojournings of Captain Hedrick in the South, and the 
route he traveled with his brother officers, may be given with 
interest. Leaving Memphis on the evening of the 9th of April, 
he was taken, first to Jackson, Mississippi; from Jackson to 
Meridian; from Meridian to Mobile; from Mobile up the Ala- 
bama River to Selma ; and from Selma to Talladega, where for 
two weeks he ^^■as quartered with his brother officers in a 
vacant Baptist College. From Talladega he was taken back 
to Selma, where he remained two months; from Selma to 
Montgomery; from Montgomery to Atlanta; from Atlanta 
to Madison; and from Madison to Richmond, via Augusta, 
Columbia, Raleigh and Weldon. At Richmond Cai^tain Hed- 
rick was paroled, after a prison-life of six months and seven 
days, and entered our lines on the 18th day of October, 1862, 

After remaining several weeks with his family at Ottumwa, 
he learned that he was exchanged, and at once returned to his 
regiment. He re-joined it on the 9th of February, 1863, at La 
Fayette, Tennessee, and was immediately promoted to the 



298 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

majority, his commission dating the 17th of January, 18G3. 
On the 22d of the following April he was made lieutenant- 
colonel ; and with this rank he won his chief laurels. When, 
after the fall of Atlanta, Colonel Belknap was made a briga- 
dier-general, Lieutenant-Colonel Hedrick was promoted to the 
full colonelcy of the loth Iowa Infantry, his commission dating 
the 20th of August, 1864. He was breveted brigadier-general 
in the spring of 1865, for gallant services in the Atlanta Cam- 
paign. 

As has already been stated, the 15th Iowa saw its hardest 
service in General Sherman's campaign against Atlanta. Just 
before returning home on veteran furlough, the regiment had 
accompanied General Sherman on the Meridian march, which, 
however, is celebrated only for the rapidity of the movement, 
and the large amount of rebel property destroyed ; and still 
earlier the regiment had joined in the siege of Vicksburg, and 
in the subsequent march on Jackson ; but in none of these 
movements was it in any general engagement. It did not 
accompany its corj^s on the march through Bruinsburg, Port 
Gibson, Baymond and Jackson, to the rear of Vicksburg; but 
with its brigade was stationed at Grand Gulf. 

In the march to Monroe, Louisiana, which, considering its 
length, is the hardest with one exception that was ever made 
by the Iowa Brigade, the 15th Iowa was commanded by 
Lieutenant-Colonel Hedrick. The expedition was commanded 
by Brigadier-General Stevenson, and left Goodrich's Landing 
above Vicksburg, about the middle of August, 1863. The line 
of march, which was almost due west, lay across the broad 
bottom-lands that, for nearly fifty miles, stretch westward from 
the Mississippi. These bottom-lands, lying as they do below 
Lake Providence, had in the previous Spring received rich 
deposits from the Lake Providence Canal ; and the road, which 
was narrow and straight, was bordered with the most luxuri- 



JOHN M. HEDRICK. 299 

ant vegetation, in many places the weeds being twelve feet 
high. There was hardly a breath of air stirring, and, from 
morning till night the troops for the most of the way had no 
protection from the burning rays of the sun. The weather too 
was dry, and the dust almost suffocating. In addition to all 
this, the timber and the rank and dense vegetation was thickly 
inhabited by snakes of all kinds, and of the most fabulous size 
— enemies which the troops held in much greater terror than 
the few hostile rebels who hovered in their front. The only 
alleviating circumstance in this expedition seemed to be that 
the country had never been ravaged by our army, and supplies 
were abundant. Of the two hundred and eighty-one men of 
the loth who started on this march, sixty had to be brought 
back to the river in wagons and ambulances. Several too, who 
were unable to bear the fatigue, were left within the lines of 
the enemy, in ciire of Surgeon Gibbon. 

The fruits of the expedition, which was some twenty days 
out from Vicksburg, were small. Monroe, the terminus of 
the Vicksburg and Monroe Railroad, was entered without 
opposition, the enemy abandoning the place, crossing the 
Washita, and destroying their iDontoons. A few prisoners 
were captured, and a small quantity of Confederate stores 
destroyed. 

The march of the Iowa Brigade with the greater portion of 
its army corps from Clifton, Tennessee, to the front at Kene- 
saw Mountain, has already been given. On the morning of 
the 2d of July, 1864, the 17th Army Corps formed the left of 
Sherman's army before Kenesaw. The Iowa Brigade held 
the right of its corps. Already, Sherman had despaired of 
dislodging the enemy from their strong-hold in his front, and 
that night he ordered a flank movement to the right, by way 
of Nick-a-jack Creek. Just at dusk, the 17th Corps, which was 
to hold the advance, broke camp, and, with the division of 



300 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

Giles A. Smith in the lead, took up its line of march down the 
valley, just in rear of the main line of works in the centre and 
on the right. The movement was a surprise to the enemy ; 
and yet, the character of the country to be passe"d, which was 
broken and heavily timbered, enabled them to make much 
resistance. Keeping a considerable force of cavalry with 
light artillery constantly in the front, they would halt at 
every commanding point along the road, and, with their artil- 
lery, supported by their cavalry, dismounted, harrass the 
advance. These positions, in nearly every instance, had to be 
charged. 

During two days of this march, (the -ith and 5th of July) 
Lieutenant-Colonel Hedrick, with four companies of the 15th 
Iowa, and four of the 16th, as skirmishers, led the advance. 
On the second day's march, the following incident occurred : 
on a heavily-wooded point, the enemy was found in posi- 
tion, and the reserves brought up and deployed, for a charge. 
Instantly, as the charge was ordered, the lowans swept reck- 
lessly down through the ravine, and up the opposite slope to 
the crest, where the enemy had just shown themselves. They 
gained the point, and now for the pursuit. With a shout, they 
started down through the brush, each man striving for the 
lead, when — bang! bang! bang! went the enemy's artillery 
from the hill not more than seventy-five yards in advance. A 
deadly volley of musketry followed, when the boys, returning 
as quickly as they went, reported to their officers: "Damn 
'em, they are right up there ! " 

Soon after discovering Sherman's movement to Nick-a-jack 
Creek, the enemy evacuated Kenesaw and Marietta, and hur- 
ried to their left, where, on the morning of the 6th, they showed 
sufficient force to prevent a further advance ; for their position 
was a strong one on the hills that lay on the east side of Nick- 
a-jack Creek, and near where that stream forms a junction 



JOHN M. HEDRICK. 301 

with the Chattahoochie. From the 6th of July to tlie 10th, the 
time was passed in skirmishing with tlie enemy ; but, in tlie 
meantime, General Sherman had entered Marietta, and passed 
up the Chattahoochie fifteen miles to Iloswell, where he secured 
a crossing. That stream was now passed, and the capture of 
Atlanta made certain. This happened on the morning of the 
10th instant; and in the afternoon and evening of the same 
day, the enemy abandoned their works on the Xick-a-jack, and 
crossed the Chattahoochie. A tedious march up the valley 
past Marietta, and the 17th Corps also crossed the river at Ros- 
well, and led the advance to Decatur, which was entered with 
little opposition, on the evening of the 19th instant. [In giv- 
ing the movements of the 17th Corps, I am also giving the 
I movements of the 15th Iowa, and of the other regiments of the 
Iowa Brigade.] 

The advance from Decatur to the south-east side of Atlanta, 
on the 20th, was fiercely contested; but the enemy, at night^ 
fall, had been successfully forced back to their defenses around 
I the doomed city. On the following morning, followed the 
I fierce assault of the 21st, which was unsuccessful, and in which 
the 15th Iowa lost some fifty in killed and wounded; but the 
great battle of the campaign, and the one in which the 15th 
iloAva sufiered most, and most distinguished itself, was that 
. fought on the afternoon of the day following, 
i After the engagement of the 21st, the Iowa Brigade marched 
to the extreme left of its corps, and took up a position as a sort 
of picket-reserve; and in this position it was assaulted near 
the hour of dinner-call, on the following day; but a description 
of this engagement has been already given. 
I Colonel Hedrick was wounded in the early part of the 
jengagement, and just before his regiment was forced back. 
He was shot with a minnie ball directly over the spine, in the 
small of the back. The ball, striking and cutting his sword 



JOHN M. HEDRTCK. 302 

belt in two, was turned slightly to the left; and, passing down 
across the ilium, came out near the lower point of the hip. 
Completely paralyzed by the wound, he was at once placed 
upon the shoulders of two men to be taken to the rear when he 
instantly received another shot through the left fore-arm. The 
first wound was supposed to be mortal ; and, but for his vigor- 
ous constitution, it must have proven so. For many weeks he 
was kept upon his back, and even now he can not move about 
without the aid of crutches. Having partially recovered, he 
was detailed on a court-martial in the city of Washington, 
where he is still serving. 

Since the battle of the 22d of July, before Atlanta, the loth 
Iowa has been commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Pomutz, a 
Hungarian by birth, and, I am told, a good officer. The 
services of the regiment, since tlie fall of that place, are com- 
prised in the march from Atlanta, via Savannah, to Raleigh 
and Washington. 

Of General Hedrick as a military man, I dare not speak as I 
otherwise would, were he not my fellow-townsman. All who 
know his military history concede that he is an officer of great 
worth. 

In person, he is tall and slender, with spare features, dark- 
brown hair, and large, dark eyes. He is an energetic and 
rapid talker, and expresses his opinions with great positive- 
ness; which he can do with safety, since he has much general 
information. He has a firm step, and a hearty laugh; is hope- 
ful, cheerful and self-confident, and endures reverses with great 
fortitude. He is as much esteemed as a citizen, as he is admired 
as a soldier. 



COLONEL ALEXANDER CHAMBERS. 

SIXTEENTH IXFAXTRY. 

ALEXAXDEii Chambers is thirty-two years of age, and a 
native of the State of New York. I know little more of his 
history prior to his entering the volunteer service except that 
he was a lieutenant of the 18th Regular Infantry, and a resi- 
dent of Owatonna, Minnesota. After the war broke out, and 
before he was made colonel, he served as a mustering officer of 
Iowa troops. He was the United States mustering officer of 
tlie following Iowa regiments: the 1st, 2d and 4th Cavalry; 
and tlie 1st, 2d, 3d, 5th, Gth, 7th, 8th, 10th, 11th, 13th and 14th 
Infantry. Though not an Iowa man, his military services 
certainly go to the credit of the State. He was commissioned 
Colonel of the IGth Iowa, in February, 1862, and served with 
this rank till the winter of 18G3-4, when he left the volunteer 
service and returned to his former position as captain in the 
18th Regular Infantry ; for he had been promoted to a cap- 
taincy, in the summer of 1861. 

Colonel Chambers' first engagement, which was also the first 
of his regiment, was Shiloh. In that action he was slightly 
wounded. The position of his regiment in the first day's 
battle was on the right of the loth Iowa, and the part it sus- 
tained sufficiently appears in the sketch of General H. T. Reid. 
In the closing paragraph of an official statement concerning 
this engagement, Colonel Chambers says : 

"The field officers were particularly cool under a destructive 
fire, and rendered great assistance. The horses of all the field 
and staff" officers were killed or wounded, evidently showing 
an intention on the part of the enemy to pick off the most 
prominent officers. Captains Ruehl and Zettler, both gallant 

303 



304 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

men, were killed or mortally wounded, and 1st Lieutenant 
Frank N. Doyle, a brave and efficient officer, was also killed. 
The loss during Sunday's fight was two officers and sixteen 
non-commissioned officers and privates killed, and nine 
officers and twenty-four non-commissioned officers and privates 
wounded, and fifteen non-commissioned officers and privates 
missing. " 

Among the wounded officers, were Captains A. Palmer, E. 
S. Fraser, and E. M. Newcorab; and Lieutenants Lewis 
Bunde, J. II. Lucas, G. PI. Ilolcomb, and Henry Meyer. It 
was reported that the regiment did not conduct itself with 
credit, but its losses tell a diflferent story. The conduct of 
Lieutenant-Colonel A. H. Sanders was especially gallant, as it 
ever after was, in the face of the enemy. 

It is elsewhere stated that immediately after the battle of 
Shiloh or Pittsburg Landing, the Iowa Brigade was organized, 
and that the organization was preserved till the close of Gen- 
eral Sherman's campaign through the Carolinas, in the spring 
of 1865. The IGth Iowa was the junior regiment of this brig- 
ade, and much relating to its history will be found in the 
sketches of Generals Crocker, Held, Belknap and Iledrick, and 
Colonels Hall and Shane. But the 16th has a chapter in its 
history, not to be found in those of the other regiments of its 
brigade. It fought Price at luka ; was conspicuous upon the 
field, and suffered terribly in killed and wounded. Next to 
the Sth Iowa Infimtry, it lost more heavily than any other 
regiment on that ])loody field. 

" For some ten days or more before the final move of the 
rebel army under General Price, eastward from the Mobile and 
Ohio Kail road, it was evident that an attack upon Corinth was 
contemplated, or some change to be made in the location of 
that army. This caused great vigilance to be necessary, on the 
part of our cavalry, especially that to the southern front, under 
Colonel Mizner. The labor of watching and occasional skir- 
mishing was most satisfactorily performed, and almost every 



ALEXANDER CHAMBERS. 305 

move of the enemy was knowm as soon as commenced. A])out 
the 11th of September, Price left the railroad — the infontry 
and artillery probably moving from Baldwin, and the cavalry 
from the roads north of Baldwin, toward Bay Springs. At 
the latter j)lace, a halt of a few days seemed to have been 
made; likely, for the purpose of collecting stores and recon- 
noitering our eastern flank. On the 13th of September, the 
enemy's cavalry made their appearance near luka, and were 
repulsed by the small garrison under Colonel Murphy of the 
8th Wisconsin Infantry, still left there to cover the removal of 
stores, not yet brought into Corinth. The enemy appeared 
again in increased force on the same day, and, having cut 
the railroad between there and Burnsville, Colonel Murphy 
thought it i)rudent to retire to save his force." 

How the IGth Iowa became separated from its brigade and 
fought with Rosecrans at luka happened thus : When Colonel 
1 Murphy was attacked by the enemy, he sent back for rein- 
I forcements: Colonel Crocker was directed to send a regiment 
to his support. The 16th Iowa was ordered forward, and thus 
formed a junction with General Bosecrans. In speaking of 
the part the IGth and other regiments of his command bore at 
luka. General Rosecrans says : 

" The IGth Iowa, amid the roar of battle, the rush of wounded 
artillery-horses, the charges of a rebel l)rigade, and a storm 
of grape, canister and musketry, stood like a rock, holding the 
centre, while the glorious 5th Iowa, under the brave and dis- 
tinguished INIatthies, sustained by Boomer, with his noble little 
26th Missouri, bore the thrice-reijeated charges and cross-fires 
of the rebel left and centre, with a valor and determination, 
seldom equaled, and never excelled by the most veteran 
soldiery." 

So far as I can learn, the killed and wounded of the 16th 
Iowa at luka numbered about sixty-five. Colonel Chambers 
was wounded and obliged to turn his command over to Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Sanders. Lieutenant and Adjutant George 
Lawrence, a gallant young officer, was killed. Captain A. 
Palmer and Lieutenant J. H. Lucas of Company C, were both 



306 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

wounded, as they had also been at Shiloh. Lieutenants Alcorn 
and Williams were also wounded, both severely. luka was 
the IGth Iowa's second engagement, and their courage and 
intrepidity, on that field, was a triumphant answer to all 
insinuations of former ungallant conduct. They were the 
heroes of their brigade, and when they marched back to 
re-join it they were looked on with admiration, and received 
the eager gratulations of their sister regiments. 

Next in the history of the regiment is the battle of Corinth, 
a full account of which has been given elsewhere. It lost its 
commanding officer at luka, and suffered the same misfortune 
at Corinth. Lieutenant-Colonel Sanders was severely wounded 
in the thigh, in the afternoon of the first day's fight. Of this 
gallant officer's conduct, Colonel, afterward General Crocker 
says : 

"Lieutenant-Colonel Add. H. Sanders, who commanded the 
16th, is entitled to great praise. He rode along the line of his 
regiment, amid the storm of bullets, encouraging his brave 
boys, who had so lately suffered at luka, to remember their 
duty, and, although severely wounded, remained with his regi- 
ment until it marched off the field." 

Major William Purcell succeeded Colonel Sanders in the com- 
mand of the regiment. Its loss in the engagement I have been 
unable to learn, but, next to the loth Iowa, it suffered more 
severely than any other regiment of its brigade. Major Purcell 
was slightly wounded, but not so severely as to compel him to 
leave the field. Captain C. W. Williams was taken prisoner. 
Color-Sergeant Samuel Duffin, and Color-Corporals McElhaney, 
Eighmey and Karn are mentioned for their gallant conduct 
on the field. 

The pursuit of the defeated and dispirited rebel army to the 
Hatchie, and the return to Corinth ; the march to the Yockona 
late that same Fall ; the trip down the Mississippi to Young's 
Point, and the operations around Vicksburg; the march to 



ALEXANDER CHAMBERS. 307 

Mechanicsville, up the Yazoo ; the expedition to Jackson, and 
the escape of Johnson; the raid to Monroe, Louisiana, and, 
later, that to Meridian, Mississippi; the long and tedious 
march from Clifton on the Tennessee, to North-western Georgia, 
in the Spring of 18G4, and the operations of the Iowa Brigade 
on the memorable Atlanta Campaign, will be found in the 
sketches of those officers and regiments, whose histories they 
help to make up. The 16th Iowa Infantry took part in all 
these operations. 

It has already been stated that Colonel Chambers resigned 
his commission in the winter of 1863-4. Subsequently to that 
date, the 16th Iowa has been commanded by that excellent 
officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Sanders. Indeed, for many months 
prior to the resignation of the former officer, Colonel Sanders 
commanded his regiment; for, on the departure of General 
Crocker to assume command of the Tfli Division, of his corps, 
Colonel Chambers succeeded him in the command of the Iowa 
Brigade. 

I pass now to the most interesting and exciting chapter in 
the history of the 16th Iowa — a chapter which, could I write 
it as it was made, would equal any passage in war-literature. 
Certainly no regiment in all Sherman's grand army of " ninety- 
eight thousand nine hundred and ninety-seven men" can fur- 
nish an instance of greater and more distinguishing valor, than 
that of which I write. 

How Sherman, having crossed the Chattahoochie, threw his 
army by a grand right-wheel around Atlanta, with the Army 
of the Tennessee — Blair, Logan and Dodge — on the left, I 
have written elsewhere. In the sketch of General Belknap, I 
have also given an account of the enemy's opening attack, 
which, for suddenness and desperation, would have done credit 
to the best marshals of France. The 22d of July, and the 
assault on Sherman's left, are the day and the battle of which 



308 IOWA COLONELS AND BEGIMENTS. 

I speak. Tlie 16th Iowa " was posted upon the left of the 11th 
Iowa, and in the immediate front of the 13th Iowa, the 15th 
Iowa being ui)on the left and upon a prolongation of the line 
of the 13th, the brigade being the left of the 4th Division, 
which held the left wing of the Army of the Tennessee." The 
16th Iowa, therefore, held the extreme left and front of Sher- 
man's victorious legions— a post of honor deserving double 
honor, on account of its gallant defense. "Companies B and 
G, under the respective commands of Captain Henry Lefeldt 
and Lieutenant Timm, were deployed as skirmishers in front, 
connecting on the right with the skirmishers of the 11th Iowa, 
and on the left with those of the 15th." This position had 
been taken up, and these dispositions had been made, (earth- 
works in front of each regiment having been in the meantime 
.constructed) on the previous afternoon. And it is proper to 
state in this connection that the left of the Army of the Ten- 
ne.ssee had not joined in the general advance made by Sher- 
man's army on the morning of the 22d. 

As elsewhere stated, the ground occupied by the Iowa 
Brigade was open, with the exception of being covered with 
under-brush ; but, immediately after taking up the position, 
the 11th, 15th, and 16th Iowa had " policed " in their front, 
from thirty to fifty yards. No enemy could pass that line 
under cover, and to come within it was almost certain death. 
The skirmish line was posted in the thicket beyond. 

Just before noon of the day in question, General Giles A. 
Smith, in person, had directed Colonel Sanders to have his 
regiment ready to fall in at a minute's notice, adding, "you 
must hold your works to the last, as the safety of the division 
may depend on the delay occasioned the enemy at this point." 
This was the last order received by Colonel Sanders from his 
superior that day. Already the reign of ominous silence, 
which commonly precedes great battles, portended the ap- 



ALEXANDER CHAMBERS. 309 

preaching conflict, and, hardly had General Smith rode back 
to his head-quarters, when the roar of musketry along the 
skirmish line signaled the advance of the enemy. It was 
sharp and spiteful, and told the brave boys, who sprung for 
their guns and the trenches, that a desperate struggle was at 
hand. Instantly the skirmishers, with anxious faces, made 
their appearance, and came running back to the works. They 
were sent back by Colonel Sanders, but had scarcely entered 
the thicket, when they were fired on and again driven back. 
The enemy were coming in heavy line of battle, and closely on 
the heels of their own skirmishers, while the 16th Iowa, 
crouched in their trenches and, with their muskets pointed 
toward the threatened point, awaited their approach. " When 
you fire, fire low, but don't fire a gun till you receive my 
command, no matter how near they come," were the orders of 
Colonel Sanders, and they were strictly obeyed. Then fol- 
lowed a moment of anxious, protracted suspense and then 
the opening battle. 

The enemy advanced their line boldly into the clearing in 
front of the Sixteenth's works, and, with bayonets fixed and 
their pieces at a charge, began raising their accustomed shout, 
when Colonel Sanders gave the order to fire — first to the rear 
rank, and then to the front. " The response was a terrific and 
deadly volley from one rank, followed immediately by another, 
and then a continuous, rapid firing, as fast as eager, experi- 
enced soldiers could load and discharge their guns. The result 
of our fire was terrible. The enemy's line seemed to crumble 
to the earth ; for even those not killed or wounded fell to the 
ground for protection. Another heavy line of the enemy 
advanced, and was repulsed in the same terrible manner. 
Officers and men worked enthusiastically, and guns became so 
heated that they could not be handled, the powder flashing 
from them as the cartridges were dropped in. The oflBcers 



310 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

prepared the cartridges for the men, and helped them load 
their guns. More splendid firing, or more effectual in its 
results, was never before witnessed in the army." I have 
taken the above from Colonel Sander's report; for, should I 
make the same statement myself, it would pass for fiction. 

Simultaneously with the attack on the IGth, the 11th and 
loth Iowa were charged in their works. The left of the 15th 
had no protection, and, as the enemy came swinging round to 
its rear, it had no alternative but to draw out of its works and 
retire. The 11th Iowa was dislodged in like manner. But 
just before this occurred, the enemy in front of the 16th 
(the 2d and 8th Arkansas and two companies of Texan 
troops) i)ut up the white flag and surrendered as prisoners of 
war. AVhen they arrived in Colonel Sanders' rear, he found 
that he had two prisoners for every man in his ranks. But 
there were other prisoners to the left, or men whom Captain 
Smith claimed as j^risoners, but who refused to throw down 
their arms. Learning this, Colonel Sanders hurried down to 
the left, and began disarming them himself, but he had taken 
the guns of only two, when he was surrounded by a rebel 
squad, who demanded: "Surrender, Sir, and we won't hurt 
you." Startled by such a demand, he turned and looked about 
him. For the first time he now saw that the works of the 
13th and loth Iowa in his rear were in the possession of the 
enemy. Believing that he had held his works " to the last," 
and hoping that he might break away and escape with his 
regiment to the rear of the lltli Iowa, he sprung away, and, 
with the exclamation — " I am not talking of surrender now," 
hurried back to his command. The rebels stared in wonder 
and none fired at him except a rebel captain, who instantly 
after was shot dead by Captain Lucas of the 16th Iowa. 

On reaching the right of his regiment, the last hope fled ; 
for the works of the 11th Iowa were already in possession of 



ALEXANDER CHAMBERS. 311 

the enemy. The regiment was thus surrounded, and had no 
choice but to surrender or be butchered. The 16th Iowa was 
the sixth Iowa regiment to be captured nearly entire. "The 
regiment numbered, on the morning of the twenty-second, 
four hundred and twenty-five effective men: of these, a 
fatigue detail of three officers and eighty men was made in 
the morning, most of whom were captured afterward, while 
fighting in front of field-works near by." 

During the Atlanta Campaign, or rather up to the 23d of 
July, the 16th Iowa lost in killed, wounded and captured, 
three hundred and sixty-eight men. Of these, twenty were 
killed, and one hundred and six wounded. Private Charles 
M. Stark was the first man of the regiment killed. He was 
shot through the head on the 14th of June, and while on 
picket near Big Shanty, Georgia. From the 14th of June to 
the 22d of July following, hardly a day passed without 
adding one or more to the regiment's list of casualties ; and to 
show the character of warfare in which the regiment engaged, 
it may be stated that, of the twenty killed, nine at least were 
shot through the neck or head. Quarter-master-Sergeant John 
W. Drury was the only man killed by a shell, and Corporal 
James Huntington, the only one killed by a solid shot. 
Lieutenant George H. Holcomb was one of the killed, and 
among the wounded were Captains Hugh Skillings and Peter 
Miller, and Lieutenants Thomas A. Burke and Samuel Duflin : 
the latter afterward died of his wounds. 

The greater part of the enlisted men of the 16th Iowa, who 
were captured on the 22d of July, were exchanged in Septem- 
ber, 1864 ; but the oflicers were held until the following Winter 
and Spring. The regiment has closed the interesting portion 
of its history in the siege of Atlanta, and in the Savannah and 
Carolina Campaigns, aU of which operations have been fully 
detailed. 



312 IOWA COIiONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

I am told Colonel Chambers is a trim, black-haired, black- 
eyed gentleman, with the airs and deportment of a regular 
army officer. He was a severe disciplinarian, and, by reputa- 
tion, ranked well with the Iowa Colonels. After the fall of 
Vicksburg, he was appointed by the President a brigadier- 
general ; but the appointment failed confirmation in the Senate. 
His status defeated him ; he was neither an Iowa nor a Minne- 
sota man. Iowa would indorse his appointment, provided he 
was credited to Minnesota, and Minnesota, vice versa. He is 
the only Iowa officer who was killed by having too many 
friends. 



COLONEL JOHN WALKER RANKIN. 

FIRST COLONEL, SEVENTEENTH INFANTRY. 

John W. Rankin was born on the 11th day of June, 1823. 
He is of Scotch Irish descent, his mother being a relation of 
Burns, the poet. He was educated at Washington College, 
Pennsylvania, where, graduating at the age of sixteen, he was 
complimented with the Latin Oration. After leaving college, 
he taught school for a few years, and then studied law. He 
was admitted to the bar in 1844. Before coming West, he 
practiced his profession in Wooster, and in Ashland county, 
being, at the latter place, a partner of Judge Sloan. He settled 
in Keokuk, Iowa, in 1848. Since living in Iowa, he has been 
district judge, State senator, United States assistant quarter- 
master, and colonel. He was appointed Assistant Quarter- 
Master of United States Volunteers in the summer of 1861, and 
discharged the duties of the office with credit. In the winter 
of 1861-2, he was granted authority by the Secretary of War to 
raise a regiment of volunteers. He entered with energy ui)on 
the business of recruiting, and, in a little more than thirty days 
from the time he began active operations, the 17th Iowa Infan- 
try was mustered into the United States service. Colonel 
\ Rankin received his commission on the 17th of April, 1862, 
i and two days later, under orders from Halleck, left Keokuk 
with his regiment for St. Louis. 

In what I have to say of the 17th Iowa, I desire to be impar- 
tial. That it was composed of as fine a body of men as ever 
went out from the State, is true, in proof of which I may state 
that, at the time it was enlisted, it was supposed, by both the 
State Executive and the Secretary of War, that it would be 

313 



814 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

the last regiment furnished by the State for the war. Lieuten- 
ant C. J. Ball, mustering officer, and Surgeon S. B. Thrall, 
examining officer, both able and efficient in their respective 
departments, will bear me witness that no man was passed if 
he had the slightest physical blemish, and no man mustered 
unless, in size, he more than filled the letter of the regulations. 

It was supposed at the time the 17th Iowa entered the service 
that the war was near its close. This was the opinion of the 
chief military men of the day ; though nearly all of these men 
are fossils now. The resplendent victory at Fort Donelson 
threw the North into ecstasies of joy. That one was soon fol- 
lowed by the bloody triumph at Shiloh; and then it was 
declared that no more troops were wanted. It might have 
been so, had first reports been true ; for the news of the battle 
of Shiloh, which was read to the 17th Iowa on dress-parade, 
declared that twenty thousand Union troops had been placed 
hors dii combat, and that the enemy had lost more than double 
that number. 

The regiment stared in amazement, and thought there were 
none left to kill. It was well for the enemy that the news was 
false ; for, had it been true, he would have marched back to 
Corinth with hardly a corporal's guard. The war would have 
been near its close. " I can crush the rebellion in the South 
West with what men I have," a certain general in the West 
declared to the Secretary of War ; and an order was even issued 
for disbanding the 17th Iowa, and was only recalled, after 
the utmost exertion on the part of Colonel Rankin. Many 
honestly believed that the 17th would never fire a gun : never- 
theless, the regiment has fired more guns, and slain more 
rebels, than almost any other equal number of men in the 
field. 

The first march of the 17th Iowa was from the St. Louis 
wharf to Benton Barracks : the debarkation and march was 



JOHN W. EAXKIN. 315 

made in the mud and rain ; and the regunent experienced a 
foreta.ste of soldier-life. Embarking on the steamer Conti- 
I nental, Colonel Rankin left St. Louis with his command for 
I the front, on Sunday morning, the 4th day of May, 1862, and 
; arrived at Hamburg Landing, on the evening of the 6th 
I instant. Under orders from General Halleck, he reported to 
General Pope, and was assigned a position at the extreme left 
and front of the besieging army at Corinth. Here began the 
brilliant record of the 17th Iowa ; for, though it was once 
disgraced on paper, and over the signature of a major-general, 
it was never disgraced in the eyes of its sister regiments. The 
regiment arrived at the front, on the evening of the 9th of 
May, the day of the battle near Farmiugton, where the 2d 
Iowa cavalry, and the troops of Colonel Loomis' Brigade 
deported themselves so handsomely. On the afternoon of that 
day, the ITtli beheld for the first time terror-stricken cowards 
fleeing from the scene of action. Never present in battle, they 
are always the first to herald disaster. "Turn back! turn 
back ! ! " they said ; " the whole army is killed and captured ! " 
but on arriving at the front all was found quiet. 

On the 28th of May, 1862, Colonel Rankin received orders to 
advance his regiment as skirmishers, and, having ascertained 
the character and strength of the enemy's works, to fall back. 
Accompanying the order were the compliments of General S. 
Hamilton in the following language : — " For gentlemanly and 
soldier-like conduct, your regiment has been assigned this post 
of honor." The reconnoissance was made in connection with 
the 10th Missouri, and resulted in a sharp fight. More than 
one hundred rebels were killed and wounded ; and that same 
night Corinth was evacuated. Next followed the march to 
Boonville, Mississippi, in pursuit of General Beauregard, and 
on which General Pope captured thirty thousand stand of- 
arms, and ten thousand prisoners. (?) These were splendid 



316 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

successes ; but, though the 17th Iowa had marched near the 
van, it first learned the glad news wliile encamped in the 
woods near Boonville. Beauregard made good his escape, and 
Pope returned to Corinth. To new troops, this marcli was one 
of great hardships. It was made in the early days of Summer, 
when, in that climate, the days are hot and the nights cool. 
Uninured to the hardsliips, and ignorant of tlie customs of 
soldier-life, the 17th Iowa suffered severely ; for they parted 
with nothing, and struggled along with burdens that would 
have broken down even veterans. They would not throw 
away even a cartridge. 

Ordered into camp at Clear Springs, Mississippi, the 17th 
remained there until the latter part of June, and then joined 
the forces which marched out beyond Ripley. One incident 
on this march will be remembered by every member of the 
regiment who joined in it. It happened on the evening of the 
second day of the return to Camp Clear Springs. In the even- 
ing of that day, which had been cold and rainy, camp was 
made in a low bottom, and soon after the camp-fires were 
lighted, a dense fog arose, which was almost blinding. This 
proved the cause of the fright which followed. At about eight 
o'clock, sudden cries of alarm were given from the hill above— 
" For God's sake get out of there, or you will be all dead in 
half an hour." The regiment was filled with fright, and in 
ten-minutes' time every camp-fire was deserted. That night 
the poor fellows slept between corn-rows on the hill-side. Dr. 

McG was a wag as well as a good surgeon, and, whether he 

perpetrated the above in sport or in earnest, I never learned. 
After returning from the Ripley march, the 17th Iowa remained 
at Camp Clear Springs until the middle of the following August, 
and then marched with its division to Jacinto, about twenty- 
five miles south of Corinth, where it remained till just before 
the battle of luka. 



JOHN W. RANKIN. 317 

In August, 1862, Hon. Samuel F. Miller, Colonel Rankin's 
law-partner, was appointed to a judgeship of the United States 
Supreme Court. The business of the firm was large and com- 
plicated, embracing many cases of great importance, which 
required the personal attention of one of the original members 
of the firm. Indeed, I am informed that it was the under- 
standing, when Colonel Rankin entered the service, that, in 
case Judge Miller should leave the firm, the colonel was to 
resign his commission. At all events, he tendered his resigna- 
tion, which was accepted on the 3d of September, 1862. On 
the 19th of September, 1862, was fought the rough-and-tumble 
battle of luka; and Colonel Rankin had not yet left for his 
home. 

; luka was the 17th Iowa's first engagement, and by the for- 
tunes of war the regiment was temporarily put in disgrace. It 
was gross injustice, and the fact that the commanding general 
who issued the order of censure was afterwards retired in 
shame from an important command affords us no satisfaction. 
And now I regret for the first time that I was a member of the 
17th Iowa, for in stating the truth some may think me partial. 

How the battle of luka was brought on is explained in the 
sketch of General Matthies. Rosecrans either blundered or dis- 
obeyed orders, and it matters not which ; for, in either case, he is 
I equally censurable. The battle was fought on the afternoon of 
jthe 19th of September, and that morning the 17th Iowa, with its 
brigade, marched from Jacinto some twenty-five miles south- 
|west of luka. Immediately after arriving at the front the 
j regiment was hurried into the action. Its position was at the 
.cross-roads and along an open ridge; and just across a narrow 
ravine, filled with dense brush, were the enemy. Hardly had 
i the regiment come into line, when it was met with a terrible 

volley of grape, canister and musketry, and General Sullivan 

ordered it to a less exposed position. While Colonel Rankin 



318 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

was giving the proper command for the movement, that 
happened which was the cause of the regiment being censured. 
A portion of Rosecrans' body-guard, in reconnoitering at the 
front, came on the enemy's line. Surprised and alarmed by 
the terrible fire which met them, they rode hurriedly back, and 
finding the 17th Iowa drawn up across the road dashed 
through its ranks, knocking down and injuring several men. 
At about the same time, Colonel Rankin's horse was shot, and, 
becoming unmanageable, ran and threw him, his head strik- 
ing the roots of a tree, which rendered him insensible. 
Captain Anderson of the 80th Ohio, supposing him dead, laid 
him by the side of a tree, where he remained till late that 
night. For months afterward, I am told, the colonel did not 
recover from the effects of this stroke. 

Standing/or the first time under a galling fire ; overrun and its 
ranks broken by stamj)eding cavalry; its commanding officer 
disabled, and all happening in the same instant, is it matter 
of wonder that the 17th Iowa was thrown into temporary 
confusion, and partially disorganized? A portion of the left 
Aving got separated from the right ; but the greater part of the 
regiment was present throughout the engagement. Indeed, it 
may be said that, in all its hard-fought battles, the 17th Iowa 
never did better, all things considered, than it did in its luck- 
less fight at luka. Go read the inscriptions on its battle-flags ! 
go count its gallant dead, whose bleaching bones give addi- 
tional sacredness to a dozen battle-fields ! or, what you may 
more easily do, go ask those who know its history, if the 
regiment has not a gallant record. And it ivas not ingJoriously 
begun at luka. 

The losses of the 17th Iowa at luka, numbered about forty. 
Among the killed was Lieutenant Oliver H. P. Smith, a good 
man and a brave ofiicer. He was shot in the midst of confu- 
sion, and doubtless by our own men ; for the ball entered the 



JOHN W. KANKIN. 319 

back of his head, and he tiever turned his bach to the enemy. 
Captain, now Lieutenant-Colonel S. M. Archer was among 
the severely wounded. He had just before assumed command 
of the regiment. 

It was reported that Colonel Rankin was under the influence 
of liquor in the action at luka. If he was, and if the injury he 
received was attributable to that fact, I do not know it. I 
have been told by ofiicers of the regiment (for I was not present 
in the engagement) that all the licpior was destroyed before the 
troops were marched out from their camps. In addition to 
this, I was told by Assistant Surgeon McGorrisk, afterward 
surgeon of the 9th Iowa Infantry, and still later, surgeon-in- 
chief of the 1st Division, loth Army Corps, that, while the 
command of Rosecrans was en route for luka. General Stanly 
rode up to Colonel Rankin and asked him for a drink. The 
colonel, pulling his flask from his pocket, replied, "I am sorry, 
general; but you see I hav'nt got any." Lieutenant Delahoyd, 
brigade adjutant-general, was present, and confirms the above 
statement. I am no particular friend of Colonel Rankin, for 
he is the only officer who ever threatened to put me in arrest, 
and, as I think, unjustly. But then, it is my duty to give facts 
as they are. The truth is, the conduct of the 17th Iowa would 
never have been censured, had it not been for the malice of a 
certain brigadier, and the disappointment of a certain aspiring 
captain, who dared in no other way to strike at the reputation 
I of Colonel Rankin. 

1 Colonel Rankin is a small man, with light complexion, and 
I a nervous-sanguine temperament. Before entering the service, 
j he was unused to hardship and exposure, and, for many weeks 
I after entering the field, suflfered much from sickness. He is 
warm-hearted, generous and unassuming; and no man of his 

influence and standing, in the State, has fewer enemies than 
I 
he. In politics, he is an ultra-Republican, though with both 



320 IOWA COLONELS AND KEGIMENTS. 

parties in his county he has always been popular. With an 
average democratic majority of five hundred, he was, in 1858, 
elected to the State Senate from Lee county. All were sur- 
prised, but only a few disappointed. The colonel is quick to 
invent, quick to execute, and has one of the best legal minds in 
Iowa. 



COLONEL DAVID BURKE HILLIS. 

SECOND COLOXEL, SEVENTEENTH INFANTRY. 

David B. Hillis is a native of Jefferson county, Indiana ; 
and was born on tlie 25th day of July, 1825. He is a son of the 
late David Hillis, who was quite a distinguished politician, 
and at one time Lieutenant-Governor of Indiana. Colonel 
Hillis was educiited at the University of South Hanover, 
Indiana; studied medicine at Madison, Indiana, and, at the 
age of twenty-one, commenced the practice of his profession in 
Jackson county, of the same State. For eleven years, he gave 
to his profession his undivided attention ; and, at the end of 
that time, had attained a good standing among the members 
of his fraternity. In 1858, he abandoned his profession to 
engage in mercantile pursuits. Moving West, he located in 
Bloomfield, Davis county, Iowa, where he continued in busi- 
ness till the summer of 1860, when he removed to Keokuk, 
Iowa, and there, in partnership with his brother-in-law, Oscar 
Kiser, established himself in the dry-goods business. In 
August, 1861, he was appointed an aid de camp to Governor 
Kirkwood. This position he held till the 14th of March, 1862, 
when he was commissioned lieutenant-colonel of the 17th Iowa 
Infantry. In August, 1862, Colonel Kankin tendered his resig- 
nation, and on its acceptance Lieutenant-Colonel Hillis was 
promoted to the colonelcy of his regiment. During the siege 
of Vicksburg, he resigned his commission, and returned to 
civil life. He left the service with much credit. 

In continuing a record of the services of the 17th Iowa 

Infantry, I shall try to be honest and imi^artial. Several Iowa 

regiments have done as well ; but I believe none have done 

21 321 



322 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

better. Close on the heels of the battle of luka, was the battle 
of Corinth. In the former the regiment was disgraced, but in^ 
the latter it "atoned for its misfortune: " so said its command- 
ing general. 

" General Orders No. 145. 

'' Head-quarters Army of the Mississippi, 

Third Division, District West Tennessee, 

Corinth, Mississippi, October 23d, 1862. 

" The General Commanding cannot forbear to give pleasure 
to many, besides the brave men immediately concerned, of 
announcing in advance of the regular orders that the 17th 
Iowa Infantry, by its gallantry in the battle of Corinth on the 
fourth of October, charging the enemy, and capturing the flag 
of the 40th Mississippi, has amply atoned for its misfortune at 
luka ; and stands among the honored regiments of his com- 
mand. Long may it wear, with unceasing brightness, the 
honors it has won. 

" By order of Major-General W. S. Rosecrans." 

And long has the noble regiment worn its honors with 
unceasing brightness, baptizing them in eight hard-fought 
battles ; but, not so much did those brave men atone for their 
conduct at luka, as did General Order No. 145 atone for that of 
No. 130, of the same commanding general. That " the con- 
duct of the 17th Iowa at luka formed a melancholy exception 
to the general good courage of the troops " must stand a lie in 
history. Colonel Hillis was present at neither luka nor 
Corinth. 

In the pursuit of the enemy after the battle of Corinth, the 
hardships endured by the troops were great. They suffered on 
the march from heat and thirst, and at night, from the cold. 
They had few rations, too, and suffered no little from hunger ; 
but not so much on this march, as they did in the pursuit of 
the enemy after the battle of luka ; for then a large sum was 
offered for a small ear of corn. The 17th Iowa returned to 
Corinth after a nine days' march, and went into camp. 

The history of General Grant's campaign against Vicksburg 



DAVID B. HILLIS. 323 

through Central Mississippi, which was organized in Novem- 
t ber, 1862, is well known. The 17th accompanied the forces of 
General Grant on that march, moving first by way of Davis' 
Mills, and arriving at Moscow, on the 18th of November. On 
the 30th instant, the march was resumed in the direction of 
Grenada, Mississippi, and continued southward until about 
the middle of December. On the 21st of that month, the 17th 
Iowa started on the return, arriving at Holly Springs on the 
24th instant, and going into camp at Lumpkin's Mills. 

If this campaign failed in its object, it was not void of inter- 
esting and amusing incidents. Here the 17th first became 
expert in the art of foraging; and it was said by some oflicers 
of the regiment that their men could "fiill out," butcher, dress 
and quarter a hog, and resume their places in the ranks, with- 
out losing "the step." With these shrewd, hungry boys, 
orders of "no foraging on private account will be allowed" 
were totally disregarded, no matter from how high authority 
they emanated. Even before the eyes of general ofiicers, hogs 
would be turned loose from their pens, and bayoneted and 
butchered. Fresh pork and sweet potatoes were great luxuries, 
for the indulgence of which the men willingly periled their 
personal liberties. On one occasion, General Sullivan endeav- 
ored to oppose force against force; but he was soon knocked 
over by the accidental blow of a clubbed musket, and the hog 
borne off in triumph. The camp-making of the troops, when 
they halted for the night, too, was amusing. Camps were 
usually made in spacious fields, surrounded by strong Virginia 
fences; but, in ten minutes after the command "stack arms" 
was given, not one rail would be left upon another for half a 
mile round. The work was done with system, and on the 
principle of squatter-sovereignty; for, after the rails were 
thrown in piles, one would squat on them, while the other 



324 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

members of the mess would remove them on their shoulders to 
the proper quarters. 

After the last named march, and that one to Memphis for 
supplies, the 17th Iowa was ordered into camp at Bray's Sta- 
tion, on the line of the Memphis and Charleston Railroad. 
Here it remained for about six weeks; and this was the 
only real rest the regiment enjoyed up to January, 1864. On 
the 8th of February, 1863, the regiment marched to Memphis, 
and, on the 2d of the following March, left with its divi- 
sion for the vicinity of Vicksburg. In the next four months, 
it saw its most arduous service. 

Moving down the IMississippi, the division stopped for two 
days near Grand Lake, Louisiana, some thirty miles above 
Lake Providence, and then, re-embarking, sailed up the river 
to the Sand Bar, just below Helena. On the night of the 6th 
of March, while encamped near Grand Lake, that place was 
visited by a most frightful thunder-storm. The wind blew 
with the violence of a hurricane, and swept nearly all the tents 
from their fastenings. The strong hawsers, too, which held 
the transports to the shore, were snapped, and the boats forced 
out into the stream. Without any means of controlling them, 
(for the fires were all out) they came very near wrecking; and 
not a few fine-skinned officers, who preferred quartering in a 
state-room to remaining with their commands, were fright- 
ened well-nigh to death. "They did not mind going into 
battle," they said, "but deliver them from another such a ride 
as that." Some thought they could boast of having been, Jor 
once, in peril. 

The 17th Iowa next joined in the Yazoo Pass Expedition, an 
account of which will be found elsewhere. In this movement 
the regiment did not suffer a single casualty, though one of 
the boats, on which a portion of it was embarked, came near 
sinking in fifty feet of water. It had struck a snag, and the 



DAVID B. HILLIS. 325 

hold was half filled with water, before the accident was dis- 
covered. The confusion which followed was alarming. The 
boat at once made for the shore, and no sooner reached it than 
men, knapsacks, boxes and barrels, and guns with fixed bay- 
onets, all left the hurricane-deck together. The distance was 
some twenty feet; and how it happened that no one was 
killed is surprising. 

The transit by steamer from the Sand Bar to Milliken's 
Bend, and the march across the country from that point to 
Bruinsburg and round to the rear of Vicksburg, follow next in 
the history of the 17 th Iowa. On that march it bore a proud 
and note-worthy part in two bloody battles. 

One incident which occurred while e7i route for Milliken's 
Bend, I should not omit to mention ; for by the accident the 
whole regiment came near sinking in the Mississippi. When 
nearly opposite the mouth of White River, the fleet bearing 
the 7th Division was hailed by a Federal gun-boat. While 
the Rose Hambleton, on which the 17th was embarked, was 
turning to answer the challenge of the gun-boat, she was struck 
by the boat following her, near the after gang-way, and 
her guards and a large hole in her hull stove in. Had any 
other than soldiers been on board, the boat must have gone 
down ; for the hole knocked in her hull was large enough to 
drag a horse through. The men were aroused from sleep and 
hastily moved to the opposite side of the boat, and in this 
way the lower edge of the hole was raised above the water. 
This all happened at mid-night. The Mississippi was swollen 
out of her banks and the nearest land was miles away. 

The regiment crossed to the east bank of the Mississippi on 
the morning of the 1st of May, 1863, the day on which General 
McClernand routed the enemy at Thompson's Hill, or Port Gib- 
son, and with its division pushed on with all dispatch to the 
front ; for it was then supposed that the enemy had suflBcient 



326 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

strength to give much trouble. The battle-ground was passed 
over during the forenoon of the next day, and that night the 
enemy was brought to bay on the hills across the north fork ol 
Bayou Pierre, and about eight miles north of Port Gibson. But 
he was dislodged next morning with only slight skirmishing, 
and the pursuit was continued to Hawkinson's Ferry, on the Big 
Black River. Here the 17th Iowa rested a few days, and then, 
with its division and corps, resumed the march in the direction 
of Raymond. Near Raymond on the 12th of May, where Gen- 
eral Logan's Division so handsomely and signally defeated the 
enemy, the regiment was double-quicked to the front, and 
thrown into line of battle; but the enemy yielding his position 
it was not brought into action. Two days later it was one of 
the three regiments that did the chief fighting at the first 
battle of Jackson. 

On the evening of the 13th of May, 1863, the 17th Army 
Corps under Major-General McPherson, bivouacked at Clinton, 
and, at day-light of the following morning, marched for Jack- 
son, with the 2d Brigade of the old 7th Division in the van. 
For many hours, a drenching rain had been falling, and for 
nearly two days scarcely an ounce of food had been tasted. 
The roads were heavy, and by a Potomac general would have 
been pronounced impassable ; but the Union army was to 
camp in Jackson that night. The column moved on slowly, a 
strong line of skirmishers feeling the way before it. Finally, 
descending a wooded hill, it came to an open country, and 
within plain view of General Johnson's army, drawn up in 
line of battle. On the right of the road, the country was open 
and, from a low bottom, gradually ascending ; but, on the left 
and not far in advance, it was undulating and covered with a 
young growth of oak timber. It fell to the lot of the 17th 
Iowa to fight here. On the right was the 10th Missouri, in the 
centre the 80th Ohio, and on the left the 17th Iowa. The 



DAVID B. HILLIS. 327 

balance of the division was drawn up in line by brigades to 
the rear, and within easy supporting distance. 

The guns of General Sherman were already thundering on 
the south side of the city, and were being answered by those 
of General McPherson ; and down the road, which separated 
the right of the 17th Iowa from the left of the 80th Ohio, the 
shell and solid shot of the enemy flew in rapid succession. 
Near one o'clock, the entire line of the 2d Brigade began to 
advance slowly, while its skirmishers drove in those of the 
enemy. No guns were fired, except those of the skirmishers 
and the artillery, till we were within three hundred yards of 
the enemy's line. Here a halt was ordered and bayonets fixed. 
The 17th was lying under the crest of a small hill ; beyond was 
a ravine, and a little further on, the cMvalry — one Georgia 
and two South Carolina regiments. In an instant the artillery 
ceased firing, when the order was given, and the charge made. 
Colonel Hillis simply said: — "Boys, when I tell you to go 
down there, I expect you will go." 

The enemy stood for a moment, and then fled in confusion ; 
but not till he had strewed the hill-slope with eighty of our 
dead and wounded. The regiment went into the fight with 
only three hundred and fifty men, and the contest was of not 
more than ten minutes' duration. 

The 17th stood panting on the spot but just now wrested 

j from the enemy, when General Crocker, with hat in hand, 

I came riding up. " God bless you, colonel," and then turning 
to the regiment, he added: " don't let any one tell me the 17th 

, wont fight." This was Colonel Hillis' first hard-fought battle ; 

' and his gallant conduct secured the love and admiration of his 
regiment. Among the dead were Lieutenant John Inskeep 
and fifteen others; and I regret that want of space prevents 
me giving their names. Captains L. W. Huston and C. P. 
Johnson, and Lieutenant John F. Skelton were among the 



328 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

wounded. Captain Johnson and Lieutenant Skelton, witli the 
other severely wounded, were left in hospital in the enemy's 
lines. 

As General Crocker predicted, the Union army camped in 
Jackson on the night of the 14th of May. On the following 
morning, the 17th Army Corps marched back in the direction 
of Vicksburg; and, on the day succeeding that, was fought the 
stubborn battle of Champion's Hill. The 2d Brigade camped 
at Clinton, ten miles west of Jackson, in the evening of the 15th 
instant ; and it was rumored that, for its gallantry at Jackson, 
it had been detailed as a sort of body-guard to General Grant, 
who, during that night, had his head-quarters established at 
Clinton. But day-light, on the morning following, was ush- 
ered in by the booming of cannon away off in the direction of 
Vicksburg ; and as the brave boys of the 17th looked at each 
other, they seemed to read in their faces mutual concern 
and anxiety; for, I care not how reckless men may be, 
the first thought of entering battle is chilling and repulsive ; 
and he who is constantly boasting of his valor is the one of all 
others to be watched in action. It proved as all expected, for 
orders to move immediately and rapidly came instantly ; and 
the regiment, foot-sore and weary, was off again for the scene 
of action. 

At Champion's Hill (for I cannot drag out the story longer) 
five hundred men snatched victory from a self-confident 
enemy, The Union lines, on either side of the Jackson and 
Vicksburg road, had been overpowered, and the troops were 
fast yielding their last position, when the 17th Iowa and 10th 
Missouri coming up succeeded, after five successive charges, in 
turning the scale of battle. Before the 17th was fairly in line, 
it raised a shout, which, being taken up along the entire line, 
led the enemy to believe that the Federal reinforcements did 
not number less thsinjffteen thousand men. This seems improb- 



DAVID B. HILLIS. 329 

able ; but a Confederate quarter-master, who was taken 
prisoner, afterward declared that the Union reinforcements 
could not have been less than that number. At that point, 
General Grant came near being defeated; but he had ample 
reinforcements near at hand, and had the enemy been success- 
ful there and followed up the attack, their defeat in another 
position would have been even more disastrous than it was. 
Though General Grant in his official report declares: " Expect- 
ing McCleruand momentarily with four divisions, including 
Blair's, I never felt a doubt of the result," yet, when he was 
seen coming down from the hill from which his forces were 
being slowly but surely pressed, his countenance wore an 
expression of sadness and doubt, such as the 17th never saw it 
wear before. It was just at this instant that the 17th Iowa and 
the 10th Missouri, passing their general, went under fire ; and 
I believe that I do no injustice in claiming that these troops 
acted the chief part in turning the scale of battle at Cham- 
pion's Hill. 
Though the 17th Iowa was not engaged more than thirty 
i minutes before the enemy fled, yet its loss, in killed and 
wounded, was fifty-nine. Corporal J. B. Holt and privates 
James Kain, John Kirkland, Ezra Stoker and William Turner 
were among the killed. Corporal H. W. Mulford, a young 
man of exemplary habits and promise, was one of the mortally 
wounded. 

Among the regiment's spoils in this victory, were the colors 
of the 31st Alabama, and four guns of Waddell's Alabama Bat- 
tery. The regiment also captured more than three hundred 
prisoners. That night it encamped on the battle-ground, and 
the next day, with the 10th Missouri, buried the dead, and 
cared for the wounded. It arrived in rear of Vicksburg in the 
morning of the 20th instant ; and, from that day till the surren- 
der of the city, did its full share of duty on the skirmish line 
and in the trenches. 



330 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

In personal appearance, Colonel Ilillis is attractive. He is 
not a large man, but is strongly and compactly built ; and steps 
promptly and firmly. His complexion, hair and eyes are 
dark, the last being full and lustrous. On first acquaintance, 
one would think him a little haughty and aristocratic ; but his 
sociableness and congeniality soon remove this impression. 
As an officer, he ranked high, and, had he remained in the 
service, would have been promoted in a few weeks to a briga- 
dier-general. 

Colonel Hillis has good business talent, and a fine education. 
He is also somewhat of a politician, and makes a pretty and 
forcible extempore speech. 



BREVET BRIGADIER-GENERAL C. R. WEVER. 

THIRD COLONEL, SEVENTEENTH INFANTRY. 

Brevet General Clark Russell Wever was born in 
Hornsfleld, Jefferson county, New York, on the 16th day of 
September, 1835. He resided with his parents until he attained 
I his majority, and then visited Mexico and Texas. After trav- 
j eling extensively through those countries, he returned to his 
native county, where he remained till the year 1858. In the 
fall of that year he removed West, and settled in Burlington, 
Iowa, where he opened a broker- and exchange-office. He 
subsequently removed to Carthage, Illinois, which was his 
place of residence at the time he entered the service. He 
assisted in recruiting Company D, 17th Iowa Infantry, early 
in 1862, and, on its organization, was chosen its captain. He 
accompanied his regiment South, and was with it during the 
siege of Corinth, and on the march to Boonville ; but soon after 
it started on the Ripley march, he was attacked with typhoid 
fever, and sent back to Corinth. He lay in the Clear Springs 
and Corinth Hospitals for several weeks, and until it was 
thought by the surgeons that he could not recover his health 
in that climate. He was then sent North, where he remained 
till the following October, when he re-joined his regiment at 
Moscow, Tennessee, just before it started on its march down 
through Central Mississippi. On the resignation of Colonel 
Hillis, before Vicksburg, he was promoted to the colonelcy of 
the 17th Iowa Infantry. I should not omit to state that he 
had been promoted to the lieutenant-colonelcy of his regiment, 
in the preceding October, soon after he re-joined it at Moscow. 
From October, 1863, until after the fall of Vicksburg, his 

831 



332 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

history and that of his regiment are the same. He was present 
with it in every campaign, and in every battle. 

In writing the history of the 17th Iowa, I could fill a vol- 
ume; but I must confine myself to leading events. From 
Champion's Hill the regiment marched to the rear of Vicks- 
burg, and took up its place in line. It was in reserve in the 
charge of the 22d of May, and lost only seven men. The place 
where it sufifered most during the siege was at Fort Hill, on 
the Jackson and Vicksburg road. 

General Logan's pet scheme for breaking the enemy's line, 
and forcing the surrender of Vicksburg, was the blowing up of 
Fort Hill, and the occupation of its site. The Fort was a work 
of considerable elevation, and of prodigous strength, and was 
the key to a large extent of the rebel fortifications. Securely 
lodged here, and General Logan would have been in a position 
to enfilade their lines, both on the right and left, and render 
their works untenable. The mining had all been completed, 
and the fuse was ready for lighting, by noon of the 25th of 
June ; and that afternoon was fixed upon as the time for the 
explosion. 

From the Union lines, a narrow, deep trench led to the fort, 
running up the hill in a north-westerly direction, and near the 
celebrated oak, under which Grant and Pemberton afterward I 
arranged the terms of capitulation. This trench, just before ' 
the explosion, had been filled with troops, who in the confii- • 
sion that would follow were to rush in, occupy and fortify the 
position. The explosion took place just before sun-down, and 
was a sight of terrible magnificence. For a moment the air 
was filled with earth, boards, blocks of wood, cotton-bales and 
human beings. Of the latter, many were buried in the debris, 
and some thrown into the Union lines ; and among these was a 
poor negro, who, dead with fright, plead for his life on the 



CLARK E. WEVER. 333 

ground that, "he had only jus done come out from"de city to 
bring his massa's dinner." 

The troops in the trenches now rushed into the crater, which 
had been formed by the explosion ; but, although the enemy 
were surprised, they would not yield their position. On the 
outside of the crest of the fort and toward Vicksburg, they 
swarmed in great numbers; and, by their peculiar mode of 
attack, made it impossible for the Federal troops to fortify. 
They used both musketry and hand-grenades — from six- to 
twelve-pound shells. Though this mining scheme was Gen- 
eral Logan's own, he was not limited to his own troops to 
push it to consummation; and General Smith's (formerly 
Quimby's) Division was called on for reinforcements. The 
17th Iowa was one of the poor unfortunates ; and early in the 
evening this regiment, with the 56th Illinois, marched out 
into the trench above alluded to. It was ordered into the 
crater by reliefs, the first relief entering a little before eleven 
at night : the reliefs were three, and altogether held the crater 
a little more than three hours. Perdition, painted in the most 
glaring and hideous colors of the most rigorous theology, 
could not be a more horrible place for poor mortals, than was 
this crater for the unfortunate soldiers. 

That night was one of gloom and terror for the 17th Iowa, 
and will never be forgotten ; though, to portray correctly the 
scene of mortal strife and anxiety, is utterly impossible. The 
night was dark and gloomy ; and as the brave troops stood in 
the approaches, awaiting their turn in the fearful carnage, they 
were greeted by the heavy and incessant booming of artillery 
for miles around, and the screaming of shells, flying and burst- 
i ing in every direction. On the hill in their front was the 
j crater, filled and defended by Union troops, and assaulted on 
three sides by a chagrined and infuriated enemy. Friend and 
foe were separated only by a thin crest of earth; and so near 



334 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

were they together that they could touch each other with the 
muzzles of their guns. This scene of strife, which was lighted 
up by the constant explosion of hand-grenades and the dis- 
charge of musketry, was appalling ; and yet the brave men, 
who just now were standing only as spectators, must soon 
become actors on this stage of death. This was the most 
dreadful hour of suspense ever experienced by the 17th Iowa 
Infentry ; and the engagement itself was not more appalling. 

The killed and wounded of the regiment in this contest were 
shockingly mutilated ; and a larger portion of the wounded 
died, than of those wounded in any other engagement ; and it 
is not strange, for every casualty in the regiment was caused 
by the bursting of hand-grenades. The musketry-fire of the 
enemy was too high. In the list of casualties, which were 
thirty-seven, were Captains Ping and Horner — both wounded. 
First-Sergeant Moses Stuart Pettengill, a brave, efficient and 
faithful soldier, was also wounded, and severely. All were so 
sore and lame for a week after the engagement, as to almost 
render them unfit for duty. 

After the fall of Vicksburg, the 17th Iowa was ordered into 
camp on the hills south-east of the city, where it remained till 
it was ordered, with its division, to reinforce General Steele 
near Little Rock. It proceeded by boat to Helena, leaving 
Vicksburg on the 12th of September ; but the history of its 
movements from that time until its arrival at Chattanooga, 
appears in the sketches of other Iowa officers, whose regiments 
were attached to the same division. 

The 17th Iowa left its camp at Bridgeport for Chattanooga, 
at day-light on the ISth of November, and in the evening of 
the 19th instant bivouacked under Lookout Mountain, and 
seemingly within a stone's throw of the fires of the enemy's 
picket-posts, which were scattered along the side of the moun- 
tain about half-way up from its base to its summit. At two 



CLARK R. WEVER. 335 

o'clock the next morning, the regiment, with its brigade and 
division, crossed the Tennessee, and, marching up its north 
bank till it had passed behind some hills, which covered it 
from the view of the enemy's lookout on Lookout Mountain, 
went into camp, just after day-light. Just before the fighting 
in Chattanooga Valley opened, all the troops which had 
marched through with General Sherman from the Mississippi 
River had arrived in camp on the north side of the Tennessee. 
General Osterhaus' Division, however, should be excepted; 
but in place of these troops was the division of Jefi'erson C. 
Davis, which was in camp near North Chickamauga Creek, 
With this command General Sherman was to re-cross the Ten- 
nessee, just below the mouth of South Chickamauga Creek, and 
oust the enemy's right from the line of hills known as Mission 
Ridge. 

General Grant's plan of attacking Bragg was known in the 
main to nearly the entire command of General Sherman, as 
early as the morning of the 23d of November : it might have 
been known to the commands of Thomas and Hooker ; and, if 
the like has happened in any other instance during the war, I 
do not know it. It was the more remarkable, since in some 
respects the commanding general had taken great precaution 
to secure secrecy; for the citizens, for several miles around, 
were kept under the strictest surveillance. But it was known 
' that the contest would commence on the afternoon of the 23d 
instant; for then General Grant was to demonstrate whether 
the report of Bragg's falling back was correct. The troops 
stationed at Chattanooga, and the corps of General Howard 
were selected to develop the enemy's force on the hill-slope in 
, rear of Cuattanooga. 

! Back of the camp of the 17th Iowa, was a high, precipitous 
hill, from whose summit was a fine view of Chattanooga, 
Chattanooga Valley, the north and east sides of Lookout 



336 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

Mountain, and the west slope of Mission Ridge; and from 
this hill, which is some four miles distant from Chattanooga, 
not only the greater portion of the 17th, but the greater part of 
its brigade and division, witnessed the contest in the country 
below : it was the first engagement to which the 17th Iowa had 
been a spectator, where it was itself unengaged, and removed 
from danger. The enemy were surprised. They supposed, as 
it was afterward learned, that the Union troops were simply 
parading on a review; and the affair proved more fortunate 
for General Grant than he had hoped. The enemy^lost their 
strong position on Indian Hill or Orchard Knoll. But the 
enemy were not evacuating; Bragg was simply sending rein- 
forcements to General Longstreet, in East Tennessee; and on 
this fact a deserter had based his report of the enemy's falling 
back. But the troops dispatched to Longstreet were noAV 
hastily recalled; for General Bragg saw that his own position 
was in danger. 

In the three days' desperate fighting that preceded the total 
rout of General Bragg's forces, the 17th Iowa took no part 
until the afternoon of the 25th instant. The regiment was 
among the first troops to cross the Tennessee, on the night of 
the 23d, and, in the afternoon of the 24th, was marched out 
against what was supposed to be a strongly intrenched position 
of the enemy, on the north end of Mission Bidge ; but on 
arriving at the hights no enemy was found. It then rested 
on its arms until about noon of the next day, when, with its 
brigade, it was sent forward to the support of General C. L. 
Matthies' command. The engagement on Mission Ridge was, 
I believe, one of the hardest field-fights the 17th ever had. 
But the enemy defended successfully their strong position 
through all that day, which enabled General Bragg to save a 
good share of his stores and artillery. In this engagement the 



CLARK E. WEVER. 337 

17th Iowa had only about two hundred men, and its list of 
casualties was sixty. 

In the pursuit of the disorganized Confederate forces, the 
regiment marched only as far as Graysville, Georgia, and then 
returned to Chattanooga. From Chattanooga, it marched to 
Huntsville, Alabama, where it remained until the following 
May, and was then ordered in the direction of Atlanta ; and 
from the above named date till the 13th of October, 1864, it 
was stationed in detachments along the line of railroad, 
between Chattanooga and General Sherman's front, to defend 
that road from sorties of the enemy. 

On the 13th of October, 1864, the 17th Iowa Infantry, then 
commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel S. M. Archer, was captured 
at Tilton, Georgia ; but it did not surrender until after the 
most stubborn resistance. Tilton, Georgia, is situated on the 
line of the Chattanooga and Atlanta Railroad, and is nine 
miles south of Dalton, and six, north of Resaca. The defenses 
of the place, which three weeks previous had been assaulted 
by the rebel cavalry command of Wheeler and successfully 
defended by the 17th Iowa, consisted of simply a block-house 
and outer trenches. Wheeler was the precursor of the young, 
gaunt and maimed General Hood. 

It was known for several days previous to the time in ques- 
tion, that the garrison was in danger of being attacked, and 
every thing was put in a condition for resistance. On the even- 
ing of the 12th instant, Colonel Archer had been informed that 
the enemy were in the vicinity ; and at a little past six of the 
following morning they made their appearance before the 
picket-line. Two companies were at once sent out as skir- 
mishers, and the balance of the regiment drawn up in line 
outside the block-house. By nine o'clock the skirmishers had 
been driven in, and the whole command was compelled to 
retire within its works. Soon after, a flag of truce, which 



338 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

before had been unrecognized, was received by Lieutenant- 
Colonel Archer, who, in company with Captain Hicks, went 
out to meet it. The colonel received and read the following: 

"Hbad-quarters Stuart's Corps, Army of the Tennessee, 
Near Tilton, Georgia, October 13th, 1864. 

"To THE Officer Commanding United States Forces, 
Tilton, Georgia: 
"Sir: — I have ample force to take the garriscn at Tilton. 
To save loss of life, I demand an immediate and unconditional 
surrender. If this demand is complied with, all the white 
troops and their officers shall be paroled within a few days, 
and the negroes shall be well treated: if refused, I will take 
the place, and give orders to take no prisoners. 

" Very r&spectfully, your obedient servant, 

Alex. P. Stuart, 
Lieutenant- Oeneral, C. S. A^ 

To this, Lieutenant-Colonel Archer, through Captain Hicks, 

replied : 

"Give my compliments to General Stuart, and tell him if he 
wants my command, to come and take it." 

" But we have thirteen thousand men, and can storm your 
works," insisted a rebel officer. 

" Can't help that; I was put here to hold this place, and you 
can't have it till you blow us out." 

"I admire your pluck; but you haven't got ad— d bit of 
judgment." 

This was said by a rebel colonel, who had accompanied the 
flag of truce, after which the colonel was allowed ten minutes 
in which to retire to his command. The unequal fight now 
opened ; and less than two hundred men, in the block-house 
and surrounding trenches, were besieged and assaulted for five 
long hours, by not less than five thousand. 

Having tried unsuccessfully to carry the place by storm, and 
destroy the block-house by fire, the enemy, at a little after one 
o'clock in the afternoon, brought up their artillery. Twelve- 
pounders were first put in battery in the skirt of the timber 



CLARK R. WEVER. 339 

south of the block-house; but their position was so little 
elevated that they could do but little damage. Soon after, 
twenty-four pounders were placed in position on a command- 
ing point to the west of the block-house. Further resistance 
was now useless, for every shot came plunging down the hill 
and through the block-house, knocking the timbers and scat- 
tering splinters in every direction. Finally, a shell burst in 
its centre, which prostrated every man inside : twelve were 
killed and wounded. The roof was now nearly all shot away, 
and the upright timbers fast falling. To resist longer would 
be madness, and the white flag went up. 

In the meantime the place had been entirely surrounded, 
and now the gray rascals came flocking in from every quarter, 
headed by general and field officers. Riding up to Lieutenant- 
Colonel Archer, Lieutenant-General Alexander P. Stuart said: 
"Do you know whom you have been fighting? Your obsti- 
nacy has given me a d — d sight of trouble, and detained me 
nearly a whole day." "Well, general," replied the colonel, 
"that was what I was put here for;" after which General 
Stuart's provost-marshal general remarked, "I thought there 
would be trouble, when I learned this was an Iowa regiment." 

About the same time that Tilton was attacked by the corps 
of Stuart, Dalton was attacked by General Cheatham, and Res- 
aca by General Lee. The former place, which was commanded 
by Colonel Johnson, was disgracefully surrendered ; while the 
latter, commanded by Colonel Wever of the 17th Iowa, was 
gallantly defended. 

The terms of surrender, brought by flag of truce to Colonel 
Wever, were the same as those accompanying the demand for 
the surrender of Tilton; and Colonel Wever's reply was 
similar to that of Lieutenant-Colonel Archer. " In my opin- 
ion," he said, " I can hold this post; if you want it, come and 
take it." To defend the extensive works of Resaca, Colonel 



840 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

Wever had only about seven hundred men — only enough, 
when deployed as skirmishers, to occupy the entire line of 
works. But, in shrewdness, the colonel was more than a 
match for his adversary ; for his troops were deployed in the 
manner above stated, and every flag and guidon that could be 
commanded was stuck around on the works in the most 
commanding places. The ruse was successful, and, after some 
skirmishing, and a vigorous use of artillery, the enemy retired. 
For his successful defense of this post. Colonel Wever was 
highly complimented by General Howard. 

In closing this sketch of Colonel Wever and the 17th Iowa, 
the reader must indulge me, while I name some of the many 
brave men with whom I served so long, and for whom I 
formed the deepest attachment; and, that I may not appear 
partial, I shall select the names of those who, in the discharge 
of their duty, either lost their lives or were severely wounded. 

Captain David A. Craig of Company H was a brave and 
noble man. He died in the fall of 1863, from disease con- 
tracted in the service. Captain S. E. Hicks was most gener- 
ous and noble-hearted. He was a true friend, and one of the 
bravest men in the regiment. He was captured with his regi- 
ment at Tilton, and afterward lost his life while endeavoring 
to swim Coosa River, to escape the enemy. Captain L. T. 
McNeal was quiet and unsociable, but a most excellent officer. 
He was shot through the knee on Mission Ridge, and died 
from the effects of the wound some three weeks after. Captain 
William Horner of Company G., though unassuming, is an 
able man, and possesses fine judgment. He was wounded 
severely in the hip at Fort Hill, on the evening of the 25th of 
June, 1863, and his life, for a long time, despaired of. Captain 
Charles P. Johnson is a most gallant officer. He was shot 
through both thighs in the first battle at Jackson, Mississippi, 
and, for sixteen long months, lay upon his back in a rebel 



CLABK R. WEVER. 341 

hospital in Georgia. Captain John F. Skelton was also 
wounded at the first battle of Jackson. He was shot in the 
right eye, the ball passing through his head and coming out 
under the left ear. Being necessarily left in the hands of the 
enemy, he was retained a few days at Jackson, and then trans- 
ferred to Libby Prison. After the lapse of five months, he 
made his escape and came in our lines. He was captured 
again at Tilton, Georgia, and again made his escape, traveling, 
in company with Lieutenant Deal, through more than five 
hundred miles of the enemy's counti-y, and reaching the Gulf 
through the dismal lower-waters of the Chattahoochie. Lieu- 
tenant D. \V, Tower, a gallant, modest young ofiicer, was shot 
through the knee at Champion's Hill, and had his leg ampu- 
tated. After the stump had healed, he donned a wooden leg, 
and again joined his regiment. He was also captured at 
Tilton. Young Lieutenant Inskeep was shot through the 
neck and killed, at the battle of Jackson. 

Our quiet and able surgeon, Doctor Udell, and the facetious 
and urbane Doctor Ealy; Assistant-Surgeons McGorrisk, 
Biser and Coleman ; our sedate and worthy chaplain, Wilson, 
who hated gray-backs as he hated the Great Adversary ; Major 
S. M. Wise ; Captains Newton, (who died of wounds received 
before Vicksburg), Huston, Ping, (who goes into a fight just as 
a man goes who is late at his work), Hoxie, Craig, Moore, (a 
most genial fellow), Edwards, Rice, Brown, Snodgrass, (a 
good fighter and the most stubborn man in the regiment); 
Lieutenants Garrett, Sales, (the judge), Neuse, Scroggs, Staple- 
ton, (an excellent ofiicer who died of disease), Park, Johnson, 
Godley, Morris, Swearngin, Barnes, Keach, Burke, (the wit 
and editor), Tamman, Inskeep, Stever, Grifiith, Woodrow, 
Spielman and Woolsey; and, with a few exceptions, all the 
enlisted men from Joseph M. Atkins to Ashel Ward, the alpha 
and omega of the regiment — all deserve more than a passing 



342 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

notice; all were brave and deserving men, and merit the 
lasting gratitude of the country. The recalling of their names 
and friendship will ever be among the pleasantest of my army 
recollections. 

In the winter of 1SG4-5, Colonel Wever accompanied the 
remnant of his regiment North on veteran furlough ; and I 
should not omit to state that, although the term of .service of 
the 17th Iowa lacked some two months of coming within the 
order creating veterans, yet, for gallant services, it was 
permitted to re-enlist, and to share all the incidental honors 
and emoluments. On the expiration of their furlough. 
Colonel Wever, led his handful of men back to the front by 
way of New York City ; for, in the meantime, Sherman had 
captured Savannah. Their last march was that made from 
Beaufort to Goldsboro and Washington. 

I can not close this sketch, without giving expression to my 
love and esteem for Company D, of the regiment. Their 
patience, bravery and endurance I can never forget. Others 
were just as good and brave ; but I loved them less. 

Colonel Wever is about six feet in hight, and has a slender, 
but not an elegant form : there is an awkward twist about his 
shoulders. He has dark hair and complexion, and piercing 
black eyes. Considering his age and opportunities, he is rather 
a remarkable man. His education is limited; but, in spite of 
that, he has worked his way up above many who in that 
respect were greatly his superiors. He is recklessly brave in 
the face of the enemy, and one of the most ambitious men I 
ever met. He aspired to be a full brigadier, and it is a shame 
he was not promoted to that rank ; and, in giving expression 
to this opinion, I do not think I am influenced by the many 
kindnesses he has shown me. 



BRIGADIER-GENERAL JOHN EDWARDS. 

COLONEL, EIGHTEENTH INFANTRY. 

John Edwards was born the 24th day of October, 1815, in 
Jefferson county, Kentucky, and lived with his parents at the 
old homestead till he reached his eighteenth year. Leaving 
Kentucky at eighteen, he removed to Indiana, and settled in 
Lawrence county; where, purchasing a farm, he continued his 
residence till the year 1849. In Indiana he was highly 
respected, and, during the last years of his residence there, 
was elected at different times to each branch of the State Legis- 
lature. 

In 1849, he sold his farm and emigrated to California. Set- 
tling in the Nevada District, he was, in 1851, elected by the 
people to the Alcalde; for the State Government had not at 
that time been formed. After serving in that body for one 
year, he returned to Indiana, and was again elected to the 
State Senate. In 1853, he came to Iowa and located in Chari- 
ton, where, engaging in the practice of law, he has since resided. 

In Iowa, General Edwards has been a prominent public man. 
In 1858, he was a member of the State Constitutional Conven- 
tion ; and subsequently served three terms in the State Legisla- 
ture. He was the representative from Chariton at the outbreak 
of the war, and Speaker of the House. He was from the first 
a staunch war-man ; and coming from the extreme southern 
part of the State took a lively interest in preparing for the 
defense of our southern border, which was at that time being 
threatened by the Missouri rebels. On the 9th of June, 1861, 
he was commissioned aid de camp to Governor Kirkwood, 
with the rank of lieutenant-colonel of cavalry ; and was the 

343 



344 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

first man in the State promoted to that office. For several 
months he had charge of a large portion of the border between 
Iowa and Missouri, during which time, he twice marched his 
troops into Missouri — once as far south as the Hannibal and St. 
Joseph Railroad. Resigning his commission as aid de camp, 
June 20th, 1862, he was, on the 17th of July following, made 
colonel of the 18th Iowa Infantry. For his able and faithful 
services in Missouri and Arkansas, he was, in the winter of 
1864-5, promoted to a general officer ; and I believe none will 
say he did not richly earn his promotion. 

The history of the 18th Iowa Infantry while under the 
command of Colonel Edwards is as replete with interest as 
that of almost any other Iowa regiment. It does not enjoy 
the reputation that many others have ; and for the reason, I 
believe, that the people are ignorant of its record. From the 
time it engaged and defeated the braggart Marmaduke, at 
Springfield in January, 1863, to the time it fought Price and 
his subordinates on the Saline River, in the spring of 1864, its 
conduct has, in every instance, been such as to elicit much 
praise from both its division and department commanders. 
Indeed, I believe it would be unwilling to exchange either its 
number or its record with any regiment of the State ; for, if 
others have served with more distinction, they have not with 
greater honesty and fidelity. 

The first march of the 18th Iowa was from Sedalia, Missouri, 
to Springfield; its first campaign, from Springfield into 
Northern Arkansas; and its first severe engagement, at 
Springfield, on the 8th of January, 1863. 

In August, 1862, Colonel Edwards marched his command 
from Sedalia to Springfield, where he was organized in the 
Army of the South West, at that time commanded by General 
Schofield. In the expedition to Cane Hill, and other points in 
Northern Arkansas, which soon followed, he took part, 



JOHN EDWARDS. 345 

remaining with the main army till its return to Ozark, when, 
with his regiment, he was given charge of the sick and 
prisoners, and sent back to Springfield. Arriving in the latter 
part of November, 1862, he was, in the following December, 
detailed on a court-martial in St. Louis. Springfield remained 
the head-quarters of the 18th Iowa from that time until 
October of the following year. 

The battle of Springfield, as already stated, was the regi- 
ment's first engagement, and in premising, I quote briefly from 
General Marmaduke's ofiicial report: 

"Head-quarters, 4th Division, 1st Corps, T. M. D. 
Batesville, Ark., January 18th, 1863. 

"Colonel: — In obedience to instructions from General Hind- 
man, I marched from Lewisburg, Arkansas, December 31, 1862, 
via Yellville, Arkansas, to strike the enemy in rear and flank, 
with sixteen hundred men under Shelby, and two hundred 
and seventy men under McDonald. Before marching, I tele- 
graphed to Lieutenant-General Holmes, if it would not be best 
to move up the troops under Colonel White, to co-operate in 
the movement, to which he consented; and the order was 
given. Colonel Porter, with six hundred men, moved forward 
for this purpose." * * * 

" Shelby captured and burned the fort at Ozark : the garrison 
fled. With Shelby and McDonald, I attacked Springfield, 
Missouri ; and, after eight hours hard fighting, driving the 
Yankees before me into their strong-holds, I captured one 
piece of artillery, (six-pounder) a stockade fort, and a large 
part of the town, which the Yankees burned as they retired. 
At dark the fighting ceased, the greater part of the town, the 
fort and many of the dead and wounded Federals being in my 
possession. The Federal force there was four thousand two 
hundred. My loss was twenty killed and eighty wounded — 
Yankee loss much greater. I did not deem it best to renew 
the attack, and the next day marched toward Holla." 

By his own statement, Marmaduke attacked Springfield with 
at least eighteen hundred and seventy men. The place was 
commanded by General Brown of Missouri, and garrisoned 
with the 18th Iowa, (numbering five hundred muskets) a few 



346 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

companies of Missouri State Militia, and some one hundred 
and fifty convalescents of the Army of the South West. " The 
only defenses were some incompleted works." In one particu- 
lar Marmaduke's report is correct — the fighting lasted about 
eight hours ; but in other respects it is a tissue of falsehoods — a 
grim joke. On its own face, he should have been court-mar- 
tialed and dismissed the service. 

The 18th Iowa held the works south of Springfield, and the 
Missouri troops those on the east. The fighting commenced 
early in the morning of the 8th between the skirmishers. 
Little advantage was gained by the enemy until late in the 
afternoon: then, massing his troops south-east of the city, he 
charged gallantly, and overbore the militia-men, capturing 
their works. This was the only critical hour of the day, and, 
through the promptness and intrepidity of the ISth Iowa, it 
soon passed. "In the most critical juncture of the attack, 
when the militia were retreating in confusion, and defeat 
appeared certain, a part of the 18th Iowa was ordered to the 
threatened point ; and by a desperate charge, in which they 
lost four commissioned officers and fifty-two enlisted men, 
killed and wounded, broke the enemy's lines, and restored the 
wavering fortunes of the day. The enemy retreated in haste, 
under cover of the night, leaving their dead and wounded on 
the field." And thus it happened that Marmaduke "did not 
deem it best to renew the attack." He marched north-east 
from Springfield ; was met and severely punished by Colonel 
Merrill of the 21st Iowa, at Ilartsville ; and then swung round 
south to Batesville, where he issued his report. And thus 
ended his movement against "the enemy's rear and flank." 

Colonel Edwards was placed in command of the Post at 
Springfield, in April, 1863; and, from that time forward, has 
been in the immediate command of his regiment but little. 
AU of its history, however, has been made under him; for, 



JOHN EDWARDS. 347 

whether in command of a post, a brigade, or a district, it has 
always been with him. In August, 1863, the colonel was 
assigned by General McNeil to the command of the District of 
South West Missouri. In the same month, Shelby made his 
Invasion of Missouri, with a force numbering more than two 
thousand men. Colonel Edwards promptly organized his 
forces and made pursuit; and it was said his "combinations 
were such as would have resulted in the interception of the 
enemy, had they not been disconcerted by causes beyond his 
power to control." 

General Steele captured Little Rock the 10th of September, 
1863; and the next October General McNeil, in whose com- 
mand was the 18th Iowa, marched from Springfield in pursuit 
of the enemy, and captured and occupied Fort Smith, Arkan- 
sas. A chief portion of the time since. Colonel Edwards and 
the 18th Iowa have served at that post. In December, 1863, 
|the colonel was placed in command of the Post of Fort Smith, 
which he held till January, 1864. At the last named date, he 
was given a brigade command, which he has held ever since. 
His first brigade consisted of the 18th Iowa, 2d Kansas Cav- 
iilry, 1st Arkansas Infantry, and the 2d Indiana Battery ; and 
[lis second, of the 18th Iowa, the 1st and 2d Arkansas Infantry, 
md the 2d Indiana Battery. With this last ccmmand, he 
iccompanied General Steele on the march to Camden. 

For the part taken by Colonel Edwards and the 18th Iowa in 
he uufortunate Camden march, I am indebted to one who 
hared the hardships and perils of the campaign : 

1 "On April 11th and 12th, Colonel Edwards and his brigade 
'ook part in the battle of Prairie de Anne, in which the whole 
orces of Price, Maxey, Shelby and Gano were opposed to 
ixeneral Steele. April 13th, 1864, the battle of Moscow took 
'lace thirty miles north of Camden. The 3d Division guarded 
be rear of the army, and had just gone into camp, when six 
liousand of the enemy, under the rebel generals Dockery, 



348 IOWA COIiONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

Fagan, Maxey and Gano, attacked them, driving in their 
pickets and pouring a heavy fire into their quarters. Colonel 
Edwards with his brigade, alone at first, but soon reinforced 
by the 2d and 3d, repulsed the enemy and drove them five 
miles. The engagement lasted from one to six o'clock P. M." 

"On the 17th of April, Colonel Edwards, being then 
encamped at Camden, ordered the 18th Iowa, and one section 
of the 2d Indiana Battery, under command of Captain Dun- 
can of the 18th Iowa, to reinforce Colonel Williams of the 1st 
Kansas, (colored) who was in charge of a forage train to Pois- 
oned Springs, about eighteen miles distant from Camden. The 
18th Iowa guarded the rear of the train, and the 1st Kansas the 
front. The whole were surrounded by a force of the enemy 
six thousand strong, on the morning of the 18th instant. The 
1st Kansas, after losing heavily, was completely surrounded 
and compelled to retreat in haste through the line of the 18th 
Iowa, which was now left to sustain the attack alone. The 
regiment was broken by fierce charges of the enemy seven 
times, and as often stubbornly re-formed, contesting every inch 
of ground, until being surrounded on three sides and foiling 
rapidly under a withering fire, and being left alone on the field, 
it finally cut its way through, and returned in good order to its 
camp at Camden, having lost one ofiicer and seventy-six men, 
killed, wounded and prisoners." 

"In this engagement. Captains Blanchard, Clover, Stonaker 
and Conway showed especial bravery and gallantry. Captain 
Blanchard, who commanded the color-company, and who was 
already wounded, seized the colors at a critical time, when the 
regiment was hotly pressed, and told Captain Clover, who was 
mounted, to form the regiment on him, which that ofiicer did 
in gallant style, the men responding with cheers. It was 
owing in a very great measure to the exertions of these officers 
that the regiment was extricated from its perilous position. 
Sergeant Dean, Company E; Sergeants Bowers and Oleson, 
Company A; Sergeant Mordis, Company C; Sergeant Bullock, 
Company B; and Sergeant Kirkpatrick, Company H; behaved 
with a courage and coolness which deserve special notice. 
Everywhere, all behaved with common bravery." 

In the terrible battle of Saline Biver, fought on the 30th of 
April, and which is described elsewhere, Colonel Edwards, with 
his brigade, held the reserve ; and had in charge the ordnance 



JOHN EDWARDS. 349 

train. This being tlie last of the engagements fouglit on the 
campaign, the 18th Iowa, and tlie otlier troops of Steele's com- 
mand, returned to their places of starting, unmolested. On 
arriving at Fort Smith, the records of the 18th Iowa sliowed 
the following: From the time of entering the field till the 23d 
of May, 1864, the regiment had marched over eighteen hundred 
miles, and had lost in action, and from disease contracted in 
the service, thirteen commissioned officers, and five hundred and 
sixty etilisted men — nearly two-thirds of its original strength; for, 
when mustered into the service, its aggregate of officers and 
enlisted men was only eight hundred and sixty-six. 

Subsequently to its return from South Western Arkansas, 
the 18th Iowa has been retained on garrison-duty at Fort 
Smith. It has marched on some expeditions, but has, I think, 
been in no engagement, since the Camden Campaign. 

For the valuable services which I have briefly enumerated 
above. Colonel Edwards was made a brigadier-general ; but the 
most honorable part of hi^ record remains yet to give. 

From the organization of the first volunteer troops, our army 
has been infested with thieves and robbers: indeed, this has 
been a crowning evil of the war. For officers of a low grade, 
quarter-masters have led the crowd ; and it long since passed 
into a proverb that an honest quarter-master could not long 
retain his commission. But the most stupendous robberies 
have been practiced by officers of high rank, and holding 
important commands; for they would not soil their hands with 
hundreds, but with hundreds of thousands. In their operar 
tions, too, they were not limited to a few clerks, but had whole 
commands. I venture the assertion that, in the last four years, 
the Government has been defrauded of not less than one hun- 
dred millions of dollars. 

For many months during General Steele's administration in 
Arkansas, Fort Smith was a den of thieves; and Steele, though 



850 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

not implicated himself, was removed because these abuses were 
not corrected. General Thayer, Steele's subordinate, was 
doubtless guilty ; and yet, backed by Kansas politicians, who 
had snuffed the breezes of our Capital, he escaped disgraceful 
dismissal. 

Let it be said to the credit of General Edwards that, though 
he served at Fort Smith from the time the place was first occu- 
pied by our troops, none ever breathed the least breath of 
suspicion against him. Indeed, it is said (and if true let it 
be recorded to the eternal infamy of those concerned) that, 
because he had complained of these abuses, his life was threat- 
ened, and he dared not, unaccompanied, appear in the streets 
after dark. At home, he was called " Honest John Edwards," 
and the sobriquet has been doubly earned. 

General Edwards, in appearance and in character, is a good 
type of a Northern gentleman. He is unassuming in his man- 
ners, and brave and chivalrous without being boastful and 
pretending. He has not a commanding person, and with 
strangers would not pass for what he is worth. With one 
exception, the portrait here published is a correct likeness: the 
expression of his countenance is much kinder than the portrait 
represents. He has blue eyes, a light complexion, and a san- 
guine temperament, and is slightly stoop-shouldered. When 
he walks, he usually drops his head forward, and keeps his 
face turned to the ground. He is not a brilliant man, but he is 
able and honest. 



COLONEL BENJAMIN CRABB. 

NINETEENTH INFANTRY. 

Benjamin Crabb, of the 19th Iowa Infantry, is a native of 
Ohio, and was born in the year 1821. I am ignorant of his 
early liistory, and of the time he first removed to Iowa. When 
I first knew him, he was the proprietor of a hotel in Washing- 
ton, Iowa. I think that was his business at the outbreak of 
the war. 

Benjamin Crabb first entered the service in the summer of 
1861. He was captain of Company II, 7th Iowa Infantry. At 
the battle of Belmont, he distinguished himself, and was thus 
jcomplimented by Colonel, afterward General Lauman: "I 
kiesire also to direct your attention to Captain Crabb, who was 
'taken prisoner, and who behaved in the bravest manner." 
After being exchanged he re-joined his regiment, and remained 
with it till the 13th of August, 1862, when he resigned his 
commission, to accept the colonelcy of the 19th Iowa Infantry. 
"This regiment was organized in the city of Keokuk in 
August, 1862, and was the first in the State under the Presi- 
ent's call, dated July 2d, for 300,000 volunteers. The compa- 
ies were mustered into the United States service, as they 
reported— the first, on the 17th day of August, and the last, 
on the 25th day of August, 1862: its aggregate number, at the 
date of organization, was nine hundred and eighty men." 

The early history of the 19th Iowa, as also that of the 20th, 
iwas made under General F. J. Herron. Leaving Keokuk on 
Ithe 4th of September, 1862, the regiment proceeded to Benton 
Barracks, Missouri, where it was assigned to a brigade, com- 
manded by that ofiicer. Its stay at Benton Barracks was only 

351 



352 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

six days. Then, marching to the Pacific Railroad Depot, it 
proceeded by cars to Rolla. 

The first three month's service of this regiment is made up 
of marchings and counter-marchings in Southern Missouri and 
Northern Arls:ansas. On some of these, the enemy were met 
in slight skirmishes ; but the majority of them were character- 
ized simply by that dragging, fatiguing monotony, which is 
unbearable, especially if the roads and weather be unfavorable. 
To show the nature of these services, I quote a portion of the 
regiment's record, which covers only six days of its service: 

"October 17th — broke up camp at Cassville, Missouri ; march- 
ed southward four miles and camped for the night. October 
18th — marched southward thirty-one miles, and camped on 
Sugar Creek, Benton county, Arkansas; lay on our arms all 
night. General Blunt's Division was camped near by. At 
five o'clock P. M., of the 20th, broke up camp ; made a night's 
march over the Pea Ridge battle-ground, and on to White 
River; crossed the river — water about three feet deep, clear 
and cold. On the 22d instant, marched fifteen miles; halted 
and prepared supper. We were then within a distance of six 
miles from Huntsville, Arkansas. Fell in again at six P. M., 
and made a night's march of fourteen miles to White River, 
at a point below where we had first crossed, arriving at two 
A. M., on the morning of the 23d of October; bivouacked until 
seven A. M., when, without waiting for breakfast, crossed 
White River ; marched forward, much of the time on double- 
quick, reaching the telegraph road at Bloomington, at twelve 
M. ; formed at once in line of battle, expecting an attack. 
Remained in this position three hours, and were then ordered 
forward on the main road to Cross Hollows, Arkansas, where 
we arrived at five P. M., and went into camp, having made a 
forced march of ojie hundred miles in three days and three 
nights, over a very rough and mountainous country, and 
having compelled the enemy to retreat across the Boston 
Mountains." 

The month of November, as well Jis the previous one, was 
passed by the 19th Iowa and the greater part of the Army of 
the Frontier, in a constant chase from one point to another. 



BENJAMIN CRABB. 353 

The country was full of rumors; the general officers in imme- 
diate command were young and ambitious, which, taken 
together, made the time pass most restlessly with the poor 
infantry troopers. Thus far the enemy had declined to stand 
and fight. They were not, however, without spirit. They 
were organizing; and the coming December was to test their 
prowess. November, 1862, closed with the divisions of Totten 
and Herron at Camp Curtis, near Wilson's Creek, Missouri, 
and that of Blunt at Cane Hill, Arkansas. The enemy had in 
the meantime organized, and were advancing to give Blunt 
battle ; but a history of these events has been previously given. 
Herron struggled with the confident but cautious enemy till 
Blunt came up from Cane Hill, when the cloud that before had 
threatened almost certain destruction, broke and disappeared. 
The 19th Iowa was doubtless the banner regiment of the une- 
qual and terrible battle of Prairie Grove ; but the 20th Iowa is 
entitled to hardly less praise, as also is the 20th Wisconsin. 

The records of the regiment thus modestly tell the story of 
this engagement: 

"The 19th Iowa and 20th Wisconsin chargcni and broke the 
rebel centre, and took a battery, but were unable to hold it. 
Lieutenant-Colonel McFarland was killed dead on the field, 
while leading the regiment in this charge. Lieutenant Smith, 
of Company F; Lieutenant Johnson, of Company I; and Ser- 
geant-Major C. B. Buckingham, were also killed on the field. 
Our whole loss was forty-five killed, and one hundred and 
fifty-five wounded. Captains Wright, of Company D ; Paine, 
of Company I; Jordan, of Company B; and Lieutenant 
Brooks, of Company D; were severely wounded." 

Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel McFarland was a brave and good 
man, and his loss was sincerely mourned. He was a native of 
Pennsylvania, a resident of Mount Pleasant, and first entered 
the service, as captain in the 11th Iowa Infantry. 

After the battle of Prairie Grove, the 19th Iowa enjoyed its 

first rest since leaving Springfield in the previous October. It 
23 



354 IOWA COI^ONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

camped on the battle-field the night after the engagement, a.s 
though unwilling to part with its dead comrades, just bur- 
ied. The regiment remained at Prairie Grove nearly three 
weeks; and then broke camp and, with its division, marched 
across the Boston Mountains to Van Buren, on the Arkansas. 
From Van Buren it returned to Prairie Grove. And now its 
marchings again became uninterrui)ted : indeed, from the 2d 
of January, 1S63, when it left Prairie Grove for White River, 
till the 2oth instant, when it went into camp near Forsyth, 
Missouri, it heard little else than the beat to " ftiU in," and the 
command, "forward." At Forsyth, it remained to guard the 
place, while its division proceeded to Lake Spring, Missouri. 

Late in April, 1863, the regiment proceeded to Ozark, and 
from that point marched against Marmaduke, who was threat- 
ening the country in the vicinity of Hartsville ; but it ftiiled to 
meet the fleet-footed rebel. The services of the regiment in 
Missouri were now drawing to a close. On the 3d of June, it 
marched from Salem, Missouri, to Rolla, whence it proceeded 
by rail to St. Louis, and embarked on the transport Chautau 
for Vicksburg. 

Such has been tlie character of service imposed on the 
Federal troops in Missouri — most annoying and fatiguing in 
its nature, and almost wholly destitute of honor. Had the 
19th Iowa been retained in Missouri, and had it not fought at 
Prairie Grove, every man of it might have marched to his 
grave, and yet the regiment be without a record. 

But little of the history of the 19th Iowa was made under 
Colonel Crabb. He remained with it, and in command of it, 
till its arrival at Springfield, in September, 1862. At Springfield 
he was made Commandant of the Post, and never I think joined 
it afterward. He was at Springfield, at the time that place 
was attacked by Marmaduke in January, 1863; and, after 
General Brown was wounded, assumed command of the 



BENJAMIN CRABB. 855 

Federal forces; and I am informed that he succeeded to the 
duties and responsil)ilities of the command with much honor. 
He resigned his commission in the following Spring, and 
returned to his home in Washington. 

The 19th Iowa left St. Louis for Vicksburg, under command 
of Lieutenant-Colonel Daniel Kent : it was one of the regi- 
ments of General Herron's Division, and, before Vicksburg, 
was on the right of that command. Its duties during the 
siege, and its triumphal march into the city after its surrender, 
Lieutenant-Colonel Kent gives as follows : 

"Our fatigue duty consisted in digging rifle-pits, planting 
batteries and siege-guns to bear upon the enemy's works. This 
was continued and unremitting, (well named fatigue-duty) 
until the morning of the ever-glorious fourth day of July, 
when the glad news came to us that, Vicksburg had surrend- 
ered. We were then ordered to join in the march of the 
triumphant army, which we did ; and now occupy a part of 
the enemy's works." 

Private Thomas Pender, of Company I, was the only man 
of the regiment wounded during the siege. 

After the fall of Vicksburg, the 19th Iowa joined in the 
expedition up the Yazoo Piver, which was made by General 
Herron's Division, and which is detailed elsewhere. On the 
return to Vicksburg, General Herron sailed with his command 
for Port Hudson ; whence, after a few days' stay, he proceeded 
to Carrollton, Louisiana; and now soon follows the saddest 
page in the history of the 19th Iowa. 

Early in September, the enemy appearing in force in the 
vicinity of Morganzia, General Herron was sent back to that 
point, where he operated for about a month. During these 
operations, the 19th Iowa was captured in the engagement at 
Sterling Farm, near the AtchaMaya. I quote from Major 
Bruce's official report: 

"On the 29th instant, the enemy, having received reinforce- 
ments, turned our right and attacked us in the rear, cutting off 



356 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

our retreat. Ho at the same time attacked us in front. My 
regiment was first called into action, met the enemy boldly, 
and at short range, delivering a deadly volley, which com- 
pelled him to fall back. He however rallied again in over- 
whelming force, and, after a firm and desperate struggle, in 
which we were well supported by the 26th Indiana, we were 
completely overpowered and compelled to surrender. Many of 
our men, however, refused to give up until the guns were 
taken from their hands by the rebels. 

"The rebels were commanded by General Green in person, 
and consisted of three brigades — in all, a force of five thousand 
men. Our entire force was about five hundred. My regiment 
had only about two hundred and sixty men in the action: 
many having been left sick in convalescent camps at Carroll- 
ton, Louisiana, were not present on the expedition. The fight 
was short, but deadly, considering the numbers engaged. The 
corn and high weeds concealed the enemy's lines, until they 
approached within pistol-shot. Many of our men escaped and 
came straggling into camp for two days afterward." 

The loss of the 19th Iowa in this action, was two officers and 
eight enlisted men killed, and one officer and eleven enlisted 
men wounded. Eleven officers and two hundred and three 
enlisted men were captured, and marched to prison at Camp 
Ford, Texas. Lieutenants Kent and Roberts of the regiment 
were among the killed. Captain Taylor, of Company G, was 
severely wounded, and died of his wounds soon after. The 
19th Iowa constituted the first installment of Iowa troops, 
taken to Camp Ford; and its locality and surroundings may 
be given here with interest. I quote from a letter of Chaplain 
M. II. Hare, of the 36th Iowa, who, at a later day, was him- 
self a prisoner of war in this wretched den. 

"The prison-camp is one hundred miles south-west of 
Shreveport, Louisiana, and four miles from Tyler, Texas. It 
is situated on high table-lands, covered w'ith pine and oak, 
and might be considered, for this country, healthy. There are 
about eight acres in the stockade. A spring in the south-west 
corner of the lot furnishes a good supply of water, impreg- 
iiated with sulphur, and tolerably cool. Old prisoners say this 



BENJAMIN CRABB. 857 

water is healthy. The stockade is formed by placing logs, 
halved, upright, planted some two feet in the ground, and 
standing seven feet above the surface. The prisoners have to 
build their own quarters, and are very much in the condition 
of the old Israelites, who were required to make brick without 
straw." 

The 19th Iowa was captured on the 29th of October, as already 
stated, and was at that time the fourth Iowa regiment that had 
been captured entire, or nearly so. Three others have since 
suffered the like misfortune, Tn Anril. 1864, the 36th was cap- 
tured near Moro Creek, Arkansas; in July of the same year, the 
16th was captured south-east of Atlanta; and, in the following 
October, the 17th was captured at Tilton, Georgia. The 19th 
Iowa were the first Iowa troops that, as prisoners of war, 
suffered great cruelties, on the west side of the Mississippi. 
Indeed, previous to this, the Confederate authorities at Rich- 
mond had not resolved on disabling their captives for further 
service, by exposure and starvation. But these were not the 
only cruelties practiced; for instance: *' A private of the 26th 
Indiana regiment, named Thomas Moorehead, was one day 
near the guard-line, waiting for wood, when he was abruptly 
commanded to fall back. The Federal soldier was aware that 
an order had been promulgated forbidding prisoners to 
approach within three paces of the line, and he had halted, 
therefore, at a distance much greater. Nevertheless, in compli- 
ance with the sentry's demand, he was turning back, when the 
brute, whose name is remembered as Frank Smith, shot him, 
the ball passing through his body and shattering the arm of 
another prisoner, who stood near by. Moorehead, fatally hurt 
in the bowels, died the same night; and the wounded man was 
left without surgical assistance, other than could be afforded by 
a hospital-steward, captured soon after." 

I have said the 19th Iowa were marched as prisoners of war 
to Tyler, Texas ; but they had many sufferings before reaching 



358 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

that place. They were first sent to Alexandria, then to Shreve- 
port, and from that point to Tyler. It is said their guard from 
Shreveport to Tyler, were rebel Bed River steamboat-men, 
who practiced on them great cruelties. In the early winter of 
1863-4, they were paroled for e?^hange, and marched back to 
Shreveport ; but for some reason no exchange was effected, and 
after remaining at Shrevejiort all Winter they were again sent 
to Tyler. Their treatment on this march was more brutal than 
ever. Their course was marked by the blood from their swol- 
len and lacerated feet. "Men, who failed to keep up from 
swollen feet, were lassoed and dragged by the neck. Many 
were wounded by blows from swords and muskets. Proper 
representations of this treatment were made to General Kirby 
Smith, but ivithout effect.^^ They were finally exchanged on the 
23d of July, 1864, and delivered to Colonel Dwight near the 
mouth of Red River. Proceeding to New Orleans, their 
wretched condition excited much sympathy ; and they were 
photographed in a group, and prints of the negative sent to all 
parts of the country. 

Though it seems hardly possible, there are not wanting those 
who now clamor for an amnesty that shall shield the instigators 
of these enormous crimes from justice. For my part I will 
never cease to pray that blood may flow till all these inhuman 
wretches have suffered the full penalty of the law. Let our 
innocent blood be avenged, or peace will never be secure ! Let 
all leading traitors die ! 

That portion of the 19th regiment which escaped capture at 
Sterling Farm, and its sick and convalescent at Carrollton and 
other points, were afterward united, and, under Major Bruce, 
joined in General Banks' expedition into Texas, late in the 
following October. 

The above expedition left New Orleans, and, passing down 
to the Gulf through the South West Pass, anchored out side 



BENJAMIN CRABB. 359 

the bar in the evening of the 28th instant. On the morning 
of the 29th, it put to sea. The three-days trip across the Gulf 
will never be forgotten by Banks' old command. The major- 
ity of the troops were land-men, and, with pleasant weather 
and an even sea, would have experienced little pleasure ; but 
the elements conspired against them. The morning of the 
second day out broke with a violent storm from the north, 
which lashed the waters into frightful commotion. Unfortu- 
nately, many of the troops were embarked on old and frail 
transports. These were loaded tot he water's edge, and every 
surge of the heavy sea made them groan like huge monsters 
at bay. Several of the boats became leaky, and, to lighten 
them, mules, wagons, caissons, and forage were thrown over- 
board. The storm finally abated, and the whole fleet arrived 
at the Island of Brazos Santiago in safety. The bar was 
crossed on the second of November, and a landing effected. 
The 19th Iowa was the first regiment to land, and that was 
soon followed by the 20th. 

Four days were consumed in dis-embarking the troops, 
unloading the baggage and supplies, and in reconnoitering. 
Then, — November 6th — a portion of Herron's Division, of 
which was the 19th Iowa, led the advance to Brownsville, 
which was entered on the evening of the next day, without 
opposition. Portions of the town were at the time in flames, 
as also were the barracks of Fort Brown. The town had been 
occupied by rebel troops ; but they fled on the approach of the 
Federals. I should not omit to state that the country through 
which our troops marched was historic : the line of march led 
past the battle-fields of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma. 
Large quantities of cotton captured, and the breaking up of a 
considerable trade between Mexico and the Confederacy, were 
the chief fruits of this military movement. 

In the summer of 1864, that portion of the 19th Iowa which 



360 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

escaped capture returned to New Orleans, where it was joined 
by its comrades, just released from Tyler, Texas. The regi- 
ment then joined in the operations that resulted in the capture 
of the forts guarding Mobile Bay. Much of the fall of 1864, 
and of the following Winter, it passed at different points 
along the Mississippi, and operated with the forces that were 
changed from one point to another in Louisiana and Arkansas, 
to check-mate the movements of the enemy. It last served 
under General Granger in the operations against Mobile, being 
brigaded with the 20th Wisconsin, 23d Iowa, and the 94th 
Illinois. With its brigade, it held the extreme left of the 
Federal forces before Spanish Fort. In the reduction of this 
strong-hold, it suffered little if any loss. 

Benjamin Crabb was the only colonel the 19th Iowa had. 
At the time of his resignation, the ranks of the regiment had 
been so depleted in action and by disease, as to reduce it below 
the minimum of a regimental organization. In justice to a 
gallant and faithful ofiicer, I should state that the regiment, a 
chief portion of the time since the resignation of Colonel 
Crabb, has been commanded by Major John Bruce, a Scotch- 
man by birth, and a resident of Keokuk, Iowa. 

Colonel Crabb is a large, portly man, and has the appearance, 
on short acquaintance, of being easy-going and good natured. 
He walks like a lazy man, but his neighbors say he is not. 
He was an efficient officer, and left the service, I am told, on 
account of ill-health. 



COLONEL WILLIAM M<^E. DYE. 

TWENTIETH INFANTRY. 

William McE. Dye was born in the State of Pennsylvania, 
about the year 1831. At the time of entering the volunteer 
service, he was a captain in the regular army — I think, in the 
8th Infantry. When promoted to the colonelcy of the 20th 
Iowa, his residence was in Marion, Linn county, Iowa. I 
know no more of his history. 

The history of the 20th Iowa Regiment is nearly the same as 
that of the 19th. From the first, these two regiments have 
served together, and much of the time in the same brigade. 
With the 20th Wisconsin and 94th Illinois, they constituted 
Herron's Brigade, with which he marched from Rolla to 
Springfield, in September, 1862. Prairie Grove was the 20th 
Iowa's first battle, as it also was the first of the 19th. However, 
at the time of this action, the 20th regiment was attached to 
Totten's Division, (the 2d) the 19th being attached to Herron's 
(the 3d) — all of the Army of the Frontier, as organized on the 
15th of the previous October. But, as has been previously 
stated, both Schofield and Totten being absent. General Herron 
marched to Blunt's relief, at Cane Hill, with both divisions, 
and chief in command. 

For a further history of the battle at Prairie Grove, and more 
particularly for the part taken in it by the 20th Iowa, I shall 
refer to the interesting and ofiicial statement of Lieutenant- 
Colonel Leake; first premising, however, that the regiment 
entered the engagement in support of the three left guns of 
Captain Murphy's Battery, which, having been pushed across 
Illinois Creek, were put in position in the edge of the woods on 
the north side of the prairie. 

361 



362 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

"Immediately after forming in line, I was ordered to throw 
out a party of skirmishers, to protect our right and rear from 
surprise, for which service I detailed twenty men of Company 
A, under the command of First-Lieutenant C. L. Drake of 
that company. The 26th Indiana, the only infantry regiment 
in the 1st Brigade, of the 2d Division, was formed to the rear 
of, and between the 37th Illinois and the 20th Iowa. These 
dispositions having been made at one o'clock P. M., the 
engagement was opened by the firing of a gun from the bat- 
tery, under command of Lieutenant Marr. At about two. 
o'clock, the order was given to advance the battery, I receiving 
orders to move the regiment forward in support. We 
advanced in this order across the open field, to within about 
two hundred yards of the foot of the hill, and in front of the 
house of H. Roger, when the battery was ordered back, but 
the regiment left in its advanced position. I presently 
received orders from Colonel Dye, in pursuance of which the 
regiment moved to the right, into the adjoining field, and in 
front of the orchard on the left of the house of William Rogers, 
to check a movement of the enemy to out-flank us on the 
right. At this time, the 20th was on the extreme right of the 
2d and 3d Divisions. This movement was executed under a 
galling fire, which we returned, advancing to within a few 
paces of the edge of the orchard." 

" At this time, a force appeared on our right, advancing up 
the valley. Fearing that we were being outflanked by the 
enemy, I was ordered to fall back across the field, and take 
position behind a fence in our rear, which was executed in 
good order, under fire. I then threw out Companies A and F, 
under command of Captains Bates and Hubbard, as skirmish- 
ers. Shortly after a cavalry force appeared upon our right and 
rear, whereupon the skirmishers were recalled, and a change of 
front made toward the approaching force. Colonel Dye hav- 
ing sent forward and ascertained that the cavalry were from 
General Blunt's command, the 20th Iowa at once changed 
front, and resumed its former position behind the fence, 
fronting toward the orchard. We had scarcely re-taken this 
position, when an aid from General Blunt reported to me that 
the forces that had come up the valley and were taking position 
in the field on our right was the command of General Blunt. 

" Blunt at once sent forward a part of the 1st Indiana regi- 
ment as skirmishers. Colonel Dye reported to General Blunt, 



WILLIAM MCE. DYE. 363 

and ordered me to make a charge with the 20th up the hill, on 
the left of, and operate with the forces of General Blunt. I 
moved the regiment rapidly forward in line of battle across 
the field, obliquing to the left; crossed the orchard fence; drove 
the enemy through the orchard; and advanced beyond the 
upper orchard fence, and through the woods a short distance. 
The left wing being more severely engaged, the right had 
passed further in advance, when some of the Indianians came 
running back through the woods to the right, gesticulating 
violently, and pointing in the direction whence they came. 
At the same moment an officer shouted to me that we were 
firing on our friends. Seeing some men with United States 
overcoats on, I gave the order to cease firing, and rode toward 
the left. I feared that the troops on our left wing had ascended 
the hill, and advanced to our front ; but I now saw directly in 
our front, a mass of troops moving down upon us. At nearly 
the same instant, they fired a volley, under which the left wing 
recoiled nearly to the orchard fence, when they promptly 
rallied at my command, and renewed the firing with great 
rapidity and, I think, with great effect. 

"The Indiana regiment having fallen back, I received orders 
to retire behind the fence at the foot of the hill, and hold it, which 
movement was promptly executed by the regiment, and in 
good order, the men climbing the fence under a galling fire, 
lying down behind it and continuing their fire between the 
fence rails." 

In this position the fighting of the 20th Iowa practically 
closed; for, so soon as the regiment left the orchard, Blunt's 
and Herron's artillery opened a vigorous fire on the enemy, 
and drove them back ; and, though they kept up a fire till after 
d[ark from their retired position, they did not advance to renew 
the attack. 

The loss of the 20th Iowa in this action was forty-seven. 
Lieutenant Harrison Oliver was the only commissioned officer 
of the regiment killed. He was a native of Massachusetts, 
and a young man, I am told of much promise. Lieutenants 
R. M. Lyth, T. G. G. Cavendish, Fred. E. Starck and E. Stowe 
were wounded. Seven enlisted men were killed, among whom 



364 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

were Sergeants T. B. Miller, and F. M. Steel, Major William 
G. Thompson, who acted with great courage, was quite severely 
wounded. He received high commendation from Lieutenant- 
Colonel Leake: " I was assisted in the discharge of my duties 
as commander of the regiment, by Major Thompson who, 
although exposed to the hottest fire, conducted himself with 
great galluntry and self-possession. He was wounded late In 
the action, and, though sufiering great pain, did not leavG the 
field until the command was safely withdrawn from under the 
fire of the enemy." The good conduct of Lieutenant J. C. 
McCelland, acting adjutant, was most highly commended, as 
was also that of Sergeant-Major George A. Gray. " The men 
acted throughout the engagement bravely and with entire self- 
possession, retiring under fire repeatedly, and rallying with the 
utmost promptness at the word of command." General Her- 
ron in his offi ial report omits mentioning the name of 
Lieutenant-Colonel Leake, though I am told none showed 
greater coolness and determination on the field than he. " The 
conduct of Colonel W. McE. Dye was admirable." 

From the date of the Prairie Grove battle till the fall ol 
Vicksburg, and, indeed, till the arrival of Herron's Division 
at Carrollton, Louisiana, and its return to Morganzia, the 
history of the 20th Iowa will be found substantially recorded 
in the sketch of the 19th. Their fatiguing marches through 
the alternating mud and dust of Southern Missouri and 
Northern Arkansas; their exposures in inclement weather; 
their labors before Vicksburg ; their march from Yazoo City, 
across to the Big Black and back to the river ; their trip to 
Port Hudson and Carrollton, and back to Morganzia — in all, 
their experiences are nearly the same. 

The 20th Iowa was not in the action at Sterling Farm, 
though Lieutenant-Colonel Leake of the regiment was in 
command of the forces, which fought there and were captured. 



WILLIAM MCE. DYE. 365 

Only thirteen men of the regiment accompanied the colonel, 
and these served as mounted infantry, and were employed in 
scouting and as vedettes. On the day of the battle, they were 
stationed some eight miles distant from the main body, and at 
that point were attacked and routed by a portion of the same 
rebel force, which fought Colonel Leake. As stated in the 
sketch of the 19th Iowa, Lieutenant-Colonel Leake was 
captured, and shared all the hardships of the prison-life. He 
seemed to have been one of the chief counselors of the 
unfortunate captives ; for, at the time Private Moorehead, ol 
the 26th Indiana, was shot by the brute. Smith, the prisoners 
determined " to rise, massacre the small guard, and sack the 
I neighboring town of Tyler ; " but the colonel counseled mod- 
eration, and "calmed an excitement, which might have 
resulted in a rash outbreak that could only end in the destruc- 
tion of all." Lieutenant-Colonel A. J. II. Duganne, a prisoner 
at Camp Ford, and the author of "Twenty months in the 
Department of the Gulf," pays Colonel Leake the following 
compliment: "He was one of the most genial and intelligent 
officers that I met at Camp Ford." 

The 20th Iowa remained with its division in the vicinity of 
Morganzia, until about the 10th of October, 1SG3, wiien it left 
on the return to Carrollton. General Banks was already 
organizing his forces, preparatory to his expedition into Texas ; 
I and Herron's Division was summond below, to join in this 
j service. All things were in readiness late in October, and the 
24th of that month Banks cut loose from the Crescent City, and 
I steered for Brazos Santiago. He had an ample out-fit— six- 
I teen vessels, loaded down with troops and supplies, and three 
gun-boats. The expedition promised much, but for some 
reason resulted in nothing substantial. The territory recov- 
ered, was all afterward abandoned. Indeed, General Banks, 
though a brilliant and most worthy man in some respects, has 



866 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

been unsuccessful or unfortunate, from the time of assuming 
command at New Orleans, forward to — I don't care how iiir. 
His operations at Port Hudson were not brilliant; his "Teche 
Raid" was only ordinary; his efforts at Sabine Pass, where a 
mud fort repulsed him, were inglorious; his movements up 
the Rio Grande, and along tlie Texan coast were substantially 
failures; and his expedition up the Red River an alarming 
disaster. Evidently, he is not fit for the field; though, as a 
military governor, he possesses merit. 

An account of the passage from New Orleans to Brazos San- 
tiago has been given in the sketch of Colonel Crabb, of the 
19th Iowa. On arriving at the last named point, the 20th 
Iowa did not accompany its division to Brownsville; but 
crossing the Lagoon de Madre to Point Isabel, proceeded to 
Mustang Island, where it remained for several months. 

When Canby and Granger were about to attack the forts at 
the mouth of Mobile Bay, the 20th Iowa with the other troops 
of its division were summoned to that department. The regi- 
ment took part in those operations, and, in the following Fall, 
moved up the Mississippi to Morganzia. For many weeks, it 
operated in Louisiana and Arkansas ; but a history of these 
movements will be found elsewhere. It last served under 
General Steele, in the operations against Mobile, marching from 
Pensacola, Florida, via Pollard to the rear of Fort Blakely. 
Of the particular part it acted in this grand movement, I am 
unadvised. 

I am told that Colonel Dye is a little above the medium in 
size ; that he has a freckled face, sandy hair, light eye-brows, 
and bright blue eyes. He is either a relation or a friend of 
Ex-Governor Kirkwood, and, like that able, unpretending 
man, is careless in dress and unostentatious in manners. He 
ranks high as an officer, and is held in the highest esteem by 
General Canby. 



COLONEL SAMUEL MERRILL. 

TWENTY-FIRST INFANTRY. 

Colonel Samuel Merrill is a native of the State which 
was first settled by traders and fishermen "on the Maine," and 
is a representative-man of New England. He was born on the 
7th day of August, 1822, in the town of Turner, Oxford county, 
where he resided till the age of sixteen ; when he moved with 
his parents to Buxton, York county, of the same State. After 
removing to Buxton, he taught and attended school by turns, 
until he attained his majority, and then visited the Southern 
States, with the intention of settling there, and making teach- 
ing a permanent business. But, as the colonel himself 
expresses it, "he was born too far north." Suspicions were 
awakened, many questions asked, and he was finally advised 
to leave, which he did in disgust. Nor did he ever return, 
until, under orders from his Government, he led his regiment 
j to the field. Returning to 'Maine after his rebuff" in the South, 
I he purchased a farm, and two years later married. In 1847, he 
j lost his wife, after living with her only fourteen months. Soon 
I after, he sold his farm and moved to Tamworth, New Hamp- 
I shire; where, in company with his brother, J. H. Merrill, 
Esq., he entered the mercantile business. This he followed 
with good success, till the year 1856, when he removed to 
McGregor, Iowa, and established a branch house of the same 
firm. 

While a citizen of New Hampshire, Colonel Merrill was 
twice elected to the State Legislature. He was a member of 
that body in 1854 and in 1855, the time when the celebrated 
struggle for United States Senators came off", which finally ter- 
minated in the election of John P. Hale and .lames Bell. For 

3G7 



868 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

nearly, forty consecutive years previous, the State Iiad been 
democratic. 

In 1854, Nathaniel B. Baker, our present adjutant-general, 
was Governor of New Hampshire, and Colonel Merrill a 
member of the House. Just six years later, both of these gen- 
tlemen were elected to the Iowa State Legislature, and served 
together in that body. 

In January, 1851, Colonel Merrill was again married, his 
second wife being a Miss Hill, of Buxton, Maine. From this 
union three children were born ; though all of them died 
young, the oldest living to be only two and a half years old. 
From 185G till the spring of 1861, Colonel Merrill continued in 
the wholesale and retail dry-goods and grocery business ; but, 
at the last named date, sold out and became a member of the 
McGregor Branch Bank. 

In the summer of 1862, Colonel Merrill entered the United 
States service. Ardent in temperament and radical in senti- 
ment, it was only his unsettled business, as I am credibly 
informed, that prevented him from enlisting in the war sooner. 
He was commissioned colonel of the 21st Iowa Infantry, on 
the 1st of August, 1862, and, on the 16th of September follow- 
ing, left Dubuque in command of his regiment for St. Louis on 
the steamer Henry Clay. 

One of the most interesting pages in the history of the 21st 
Iowa, is that which relates to the battle of Hartsville, Mis- 
souri — an engagement, of which less is known in our State, 
than of almost any other, in which Iowa troops have fought. 
Colonel Merrill arrived with his command at Holla, Missouri, 
on the 23d of September, 1862, and, previous to the 11th of 
January, 1863, (the date of the Hartsville battle) had marched 
it from one point to another in Southern Missouri, without ever 
meeting the enemy. We should, however, excejDt the affair at 
Beaver Creek, where, on the 27th of November, a small 



SAMUEL, MERRILL. 369 

detachment of the regiment, while guarding a provision-train 
from Rolla to Hartsville, was cut to pieces by rebel cavalry. 

General J. S. Marmaduke, on the 31st of December, 1862, (I 
quote from the rebel general's report) "marched from Lewis- 
burg, Arkansas, via Yellville, Arkansas, to strike the enemy 
in rear and flank," with a force numbering, according to his 
own estimate, three thousand three hundred and seventy men. 
Advancing by way of Ozark, the rebel force appeared before 
Springfield on the 8th of January, 1863, and at once began an 
assault on the place. 

As has been already stated in the sketch of General Edwards, 
Springfield was, at the time in question, commanded by Gen- 
eral Brown of Missouri. Doubting his ability to make a 
successful defense against so unequal a force, he telegraphed 
General Fitz Henry Warren, commanding at Houston, Mis- 
souri, for reinforcements. The telegram was received by 
General Warren on the morning of the 9th. Without waiting 
to confer with General Curtis, commanding the Department, 
he promptly organized a force, consisting of the 21st Iowa, the 
j99th Illinois, three companies of the 3d Iowa, and the 3d Mis- 
souri cavalry, and two guns of the 2d Missouri Battery, and, 
placing it under command of Colonel Merrill of the 21st Iowa, 
|ordered that oflicer to proceed by forced marches to Sx)ringfield, 
land report to the commanding oflicer of the place. On Satur- 
day evening, the 10th instant. Colonel Merrill had reached 
[Woods' Fork, about six miles west of Hartsville, where he 
halted his command for supper and rest. Reveille was beat on 
Sunday morning at two o'clock, and preparations made to 
|*esume the march, when scouts came in with the report that 
the enemy, in heavy force, was advancing on the Springfield 
'oad. Colonel Merrill at once comprehended the situation. 
Marmaduke had been repulsed at Springfield ; and he had now 
fight the entire rebel command. With this understanding 

24 



370 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

he made a liasty disposition of his forces, and met the advance 
of the enemy with so vigorous an attack that he soon fell back, 
and, moving south to the old Springfield road, continued his 
march in the direction of Ilartsville. Being advised of this 
movement, Colonel Merrill moved back hastily, and secured a 
commanding point to the west of the town that not only made 
his own position secure, but enabled him to command the 
place. 

The fight at Hartsville opened with artillery at eleven 
o'clock A. M. and continued till four in the afternoon, when 
the enemy, repulsed and punished at every point, withdrew 
from the field. The force under Colonel Merrill in this engage- 
ment was about one thousand : that of the enemy was not less 
than three thousand three hundred and seventy — probably, 
not less than five thousand. The contest was unequal, and the 
victory all the more brilliant. Of this battle General Marma- 
duke says, in his official report : "At Hartsville, I met, fought, 
and drove, in the direction of Lebanon, sixteen hundred infantry 
and five hundred cavalry, under General Merrill. The battle 
was desperate." It was indeed desperate for him ; for he lost 
among his dead one brigadier — the "brave McDonald" — three 
colonels, and one major, "besides other brave officers." Gen- 
eral Marmaduke, in his retreat to White River, frequently 
said to Lieutenant Brown of the 3d Iowa cavalry, whom he 
had taken prisoner at Wood's Fork: "Why, Lieutenant, 
your boys fought like devils." 

At Hartsville, the loss of the 21st Iowa was thirty in killed, 
wounded and missing. Four enlisted men were killed, and two 
oflBcers and sixteen enlisted men wounded. 

Subsequently to the winter of 1862-3, and till after the fall of 
Yicksburg, the history of the 21st is nearly the same as are 
those of the 22d and 23d Iowa Infantry regiments. Brigaded 
with the two last named regiments, together with the 11th 



SAMUEL MERRILL. 371 

Wisconsin, (a splendid body of troops) the 21st Iowa marclied 
on the Vicksburg Campaign, and took a distinguished part in 
the battles of Port Gibson and Big Black River Bridge. In 
the former of these the regiment led the advance of its corps, 
and received the first fire of the enemy. 

"At the widow Daniel's plantation, some nine miles from 
Port Gibson, we were ordered by General Carr to take the 
advance. I ordered Company A, commanded by Captain A. 
P. Jones, and Company B, commanded by Captain W. D. 
Crooke, as advance skirmishers, commanded by Lieutenant- 
Colonel Dunlap, and supported by Companies D and F, com. 
manded by Major Van Anda; next was a twelve-pound field 
piece from that excellent battery, the First Iowa : all supported 
by the balance of my command." 

The road from Rodney, Mississippi to Port Gibson, (and it 
was on this road that the battle was fought) runs along a high, 
broken ridge, and is cut down in many places to a great depth. 
The 21st Iowa, when near Thompson's Hill, where the Federal 
skirmishers were fired on, was ordered to halt and rest in one 
of these cuts. A majority of the men had thrown themselves 
down in the road, and upon their backs, using their knapsacks 
as a support — a favorite position for the soldier, when ordered 
to rest on the march. Others were leaning up against the steep 
banks of the road. Among the latter, were Dr. "William L. 
Orr, surgeon of the 21st Iowa, and, I believe. Colonel MerriU, 
both having dismounted. It was now nearly two o'clock in 
the morning. The colonel and doctor stood talking together 
unconcernedly, when they were startled by a brilliant flash, 
and, at the same instant, a storm of musket-balls came whirl- 
ing down through the cut. Almost at the same instant, the 
enemy opened with artillery. They were in force on the hill 
above — and thus the fight opened and lasted about and hour, 
when both parties, as if by mutual consent, ceased firing. The 
battle was renewed at day-light the next morning, and lasted 
nearly the entire day. The 21st Iowa fired the first gun ; but, 



372 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

although engaged nearly all day, the loss of the regiment was 
only one officer and thirteen men wounded. Colonel Merrill, 
in the afternoon of the engagement, commanded his brigade, 
and had his horse so severely wounded that, it was necessary 
to leave it upon the field. For his conduct in the engagement, 
he was thus complimented by General Carr, the division com- 
mander: "The 21st Iowa, Colonel Samuel Merrill, first in the 
battle, and one of the last to leave the field." Of Company B, 
and its gallant captain, the same report says: "Company B, 
21st Iowa, Captain Crooke, received the first fire of the rebel 
pickets, and returned it with great coolness." Lieutenant- 
Colonel Dunlap was the only commissioned officer of the 
regiment wounded in this engagement. 

Among the officers and men whose names are mentioned for 
good conduct in this engagement are Captains Benton, Harri- 
son, Voorhees, Boardman and Watson, and Sergeant B. Krist. 
The latter captured a rebel orderly, who was at the time bear- 
ing dispatches. 

The battle at Big Black River Bridge, where the 21st Iowa 
next distinguished itself, is one of the most gallant afiairs ol 
the whole war: an account of it will be found in the sketch oi 
the late Colonel Kinsman, of the 28d Iowa. It was in this 
charge that Colonel Merrill, while leading his regiment 
received the wound which afterward necessitated his leavinfi 
the service. His regiment, too, sufiered severely. Sever 
enlisted men were killed, and three officers and sixty-fou 
enlisted men wounded. In his official report of the engage 
ment, Lieutenant-Colonel Dunlap says : 

"Colonel Merrill, commanding the regiment, fell in the firr 
part of the charge, severely wounded, while gallantly leadin 
his regiment against the enemy. ***** 

I can not of course make mention of all those who distil i 
guished themselves on that battle-field, as that would be ' 
copy the roll of all present. Major S. G. Van Anda, receive 



SAMUEL MERRILL. 373 

, the highest credit for the coolness and bravery with which he 
I conducted the charge, the left being in front, through the storm 
of leaden hail. Much of the success of the charge is owing to 
his gallant conduct and daring example. Captain Harrison was 
I one of the first officers on the enemy's works. Captains Swivel, 
I Voorhees, Watson, Boardman, and Crooke behaved with great 
i coolness. Lieutenants Roberts, Childs and Dolson, received 
the praise of all who saw their bravery. Lieutenant Howard 
of Company B, acting adjutant, received a mortal wound while 
I gallantly performing his part of this gallant charge. 
I With no desire to do injustice to other brave men of the regi- 
Iment, I will mention, specially. Captain Jesse M. Harrison, 
Company C ; for his conduct on the field was most admirable. 
He was one of the first to enter the enemy's works. On coming 
to the bayou in front of the rebel works, he saw a fallen tree, 
lying in the water, and sprung upon it, and from that to the 
opposite side, which he reached without wetting his feet. His 
company having waded the stream, followed directly to the 
bridge to cut off the retreat of those to the right. His fore- 
thought and courage added not less than five-hundred to Gen- 
eral Grant's roll of prisoners. The captain's residence is in 
Dubuque, and I am told he is a w^ealthy bachelor. I am in 
j wonder at the status of so brave a man. 

I After participating in the siege of Vicksburg, (during which 

the brave Lieutenant-Colonel Dunlap was killed) and the 

' second march on Jackson under General Sherman, the 21st 

Iowa was ordered to report to General Banks at New Orleans. 

A chief portion of the time since the regiment has served in 

the trans-Mississippi Department. I have already said its 

history was much the same as that of the 23d Iowa. It was 

I stationed at Old Town, Texas, early in March, 1864, when 

' Colonel Merrill, not yet fit for duty, re-joined it. The colonel's 

wound was much more severe than was at first supposed ; for 

after the lapse of nine months he was still unfit for duty. 

Believing that he could not again endure the hardships of field 



374 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

service he wrote a letter to his officers in which he expressed 
his determination to resign liis commission ; but they and the 
regiment would not consent, and a petition was drawn up and 
forwarded to him which in length measured nearly twenty 
feet. 

Colonel Merrill re-joined his regiment in March as already 
stated, but his health was gone, and after a few weeks he 
resigned his commission and returned to his home in Mc 
Gregor. The history of his regiment since he left it is not an 
eventful one. It has served on the Gulf and along the Missis- 
sippi River. 

Colonel Merrill in his habits and manners is a New England 
man ; and, in person, he is a fair sample of the sons of Maine 
which is noted for her stately forests and stalwart men. He is 
six feet high, and weighs two hundred and fifteen pounds. As 
a soldier. Colonel Merrill ranked high, and was popular both 
with his command and his superiors. When he entered the 
service, he was strictly a civilian, but notwithstanding this, he 
was, though of a nervous temperament, cool in action and 
brave to a fault. That he was regarded as possessing the qual- 
ties of a commanding officer, I need only state that he was 
placed in command of a division at "West Plains, Missouri, 
when he had been in the service only five months. In politics, 
he is radical, and deems the term "Black Republican" of no 
reproach. On resigning his commission in the army, he was 
elected President of the First National Bank, McGregor, Iowa, 
which position he still holds. 



COLONEL HARVEY GRAHAM. 

SECOND COLONEL, TWENTY-SECOND INFANTRY. 

Harvey Graham was born in the year 1827, in the State of 
Pennsylvania. He is an old resident of Iowa City, and entered 
the service from that place ; but, of the time he first came to 
the State, I am unadvised. He is a mill-wright by trade. 

Colonel Graham's connection with the volunteer service 
dates from the beginning of the war. He was one of the first 
men from Johnson county to enter the army, in the spring of 
i 1861. He was the 1st Lieutenant of Company B, 1st Iowa 
I Infantry, and commanded his company at the battle of Wil- 
son's Creek, where he was slightly wounded. On the organi- 
zation of the 22d Iowa Infantry, he was commissioned major 
of the regiment, and, a few days later, was promoted to the 
lieutenant-colonelcy, vice John A. Garrett, promoted to the 
I colonelcy of the 40th Iowa. He served with his regiment as 
I lieutenant-colonel till the resignation of Colonel, now Governor 
I Stone, when he was commissioned colonel. 
I Subsequently to the fall of Vicksburg and up to July, 1864, 

I the history of the 22d Iowa is much the same as are those of 
I 
the 21st and 23d Iowa Regiments. It served in Louisiana, 

and on the Texan coast. But in July, 1864, it was one of the 

three Iowa regiments that were transferred to the Shenandoah 

Valley. At the time it sailed for that destination, there were 

other Iowa troops under orders for the same place; but the 

unsettled condition of affairs in Arkansas demanded their 

services, and the orders, as regarded them, were revoked. 

The following is from the history of the 22d Iowa, which 

appears in the Adjutant-General's Reports for the year 1865: 

375 



376 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

" The 13th Army Corps having been temporarily discon- 
tinued by the War Department, the 22d Iowa was ordered to 
report to General Beynolds at New Orleans. Embarked on 
transports, reached New Orleans July 6th, and was ordered 
into camp at Algiers, Louisiana. Here was assigned to the 
Second Brigade of General Grover's (second) Division, 19th 
Army Corps. The Second Brigade consisted of the 131st and 
159th New York, 13th Connecticut, and 8d Massachusetts Cav- 
alry, and was afterward joined by the 22d Iowa and 11th 
Indiana, and was commanded by Colonel E. L. Molineaux, of 
the 159th New York. 

"The 19th Army Corps, as reorganized, comprised three 
divisions : 1st, General Dvvight's, composed of Eastern troops 
exclusively ; 2d, General Grover's, of five Western regiments 
and the remainder Eastern troops; 3d, General Lawler's, of 
Western troops. The 1st and 2d Divisions having been ordered 
to report to Washington, D. C, the 22d Iowa, with the 131st 
and 159th New York, embarked on the 17th of July on the 
steamship Cahawba, and, after a voyage void of incident, 
arrived at Fortress Monroe on the 24th of July, and anchored 
in Hampton Boads. Weighed anchor on the 25th at eight A. 
M., and proceeded up James Biver. Dis-embarked at Ber- 
muda Hundreds Landing, and after marching seven miles 
joined the forces of General Butler. 

" The 22d Iowa, and 131st and 159th New York, being the 
only regiments of the division ordered to this place, the other 
portion of it having gone direct to Washington, they were 
temporarily attached to General Terry's Division of General 
Birney's Corps, and placed on duty in the trenches extending 
across the peninsula from the James to the Appomattox, 
occupying a portion of the line in General Butler's front until 
the 31st, when orders were received to report at Washington. 
Marched at two o'clock A. M., and reached Bermuda Hun- 
dreds Landing at day -light; embarked on transport Wenona, 
and steamed down the James river to Fortress Monroe and 
from thence up the Potomac to Washington, arriving at noon 
on the 1st of August. 

From Washington the regiment marched to the Shenandoah, 
joining Sheridan at Berryville, at mid-night— August 18th. 
Sheridan was at the time falling back before Early ; and, for 



HARVEY GRAHAM. 377 

a month after the arrival of the 19th Corps, he did little more 
than watch his opportunity and maneuver in the face of the 
enemy. Nor were his maneuvers fruitless; for, during this 
time, he parried Early's second contemplated raid into Penn- 
sylvania. Finally, the rebel Kershaw's Division leaving 
Early for Kichmond, Sheridan promptly assumed the offen- 
sive. He was at the time lying intrenched, near Berryville, 
while Early was on the west side of Opequan Creek, and near 
Winchester. The advance was begun before day-light on the 
morning of the 19th of September, over the Winchester and 
Berryville pike, and the enemy encountered across the Ope- 
quan, shortly before ten o'clock. The 6th Corps led the 
advance, or rather followed close on the heels of the cavalry, 
sent forward to open up a crossing over the Opequan. 

The battle of Winchester or Opequan, says a captain of the 
19th Corps who fought on the same ground with the 22d Iowa, 
was after this plan : 

"A narrow ravine, winding among hills so steep and thickly 
wooded as to be impassable for any troops but light infantry, 
debouches into an irregular, undulating valley, faced on the 
south by an amphitheatre of stony hights, laid, with regard to 
each other, like detached fortifications. The object of Sheridan 
was to pass through this ravine, deploy in the valley, amuse the 
enemy's right, fight his centre vigorously, and turn and force 
his left. The object of Early was to allow us to deploy up to 
a certain extent ; then to beat in our attacking columns, and 
throw them back in confusion on the line of advance; lastly, to 
ruin us by pushing his strong left through our right, and reach- 
ing the gorge, so as to cut off our retreat. To effect this final 
purpose, his line was not drawn up at right angles to the pike, 
but diagonally to it, so as to bring his left near to our vital 
debouching point." 

The 6th Corps, as already stated, encountered the enemy 
about ten o'clock. Emerging from the ravine, they swung 
rapidly down against the enemy's right, in two lines of battle, 
and gained the position assigned, without much hard fighting. 



378 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

The position of tlie 19th Corps was in the centre, and the 
ground it was to talie and hold involved the severest fighting 
of the day. It was to break back the rebel centre, and secure a 
position that would enable the 8th Corps to move up and 
against the enemy's left. It was the key to all positions— the 
place of supreme importance, which, if not taken, would insure 
a repulse, and, if not held when taken, would insure disastrous 
defeat. 

The fighting had already begun, as the 22d Iowa neared the 
Opequan ; and, as they pressed on at a rapid pace through the 
narrow, crowded highway, wounded men, lying pale and quiet 
upon their bloody stretchers, were frequently met. Soon the 
creek was reached and crossed, and line of battle formed, when 
the struggle with the 19th Corps began. The fortunes of the 
22d Iowa in this battle were, I am told, the same as those of 
other regiments of its division. It was at first successful, 
driving the enemy back under one of the most destructive fires 
ever witnessed, and was then in turn as signally repulsed. 
Finally, it rallied, and when the enemy's left was assailed by 
the intrepid Crook, joined in pressing their centre to total rout. 
It was a dear, but most signal victory. 
I again quote from the history of the regiment: 
"It would be impossible to make any discrimination among 
officers or men for gallant and meritorious conduct in this 
action. The regiment never fought better. Not a man fal- 
tered or fell back, although it required more than momentary 
excitement to charge over a mile, and subjected to a heavy fire. 
None lacked the courage and determination to do so. Captain 
D. J. Davis, of Company A, and Captain B. D. Parks, Com- 
pany E, were instantly killed at the head of their companies, 
and at the post of honor. Sergeant- Major George A. Remley, 
as noble as he was brave, was pierced with three balls, and fell 
dead. Lieutenant-Colonel E. G. White was slightly wounded 
in the face by the explosion of a shell. Lieutenant James A. 
Boarts was severely wounded in the head by a minnieball, and 
has since died. Lieutenants Jones, of Company A, and Hull, 



HARVEY GRAHAM. 379 

of Company K, were both captured. Colonel Graham, Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel White, Major Gearkee, Captains Mullins, 
Humphrey, Cree, Clark, Shocker, Hartley and Morsman, and 
Lieutenants Turnbull, Davis, Needham, Messenger and Chand- 
ler, are all entitled to great prai.se for their gallantry through- 
out the battle in encouraging and rallying the men to the 
colors. Surgeon Shrader was on the field during the engage- 
ment, and was indefatigable in his exertions to care for the 
wounded. Quarter-master Sterling, Hospital-Steward Ealy, 
and Commissary-Sergeant Brown rendered efficient service in 
carrying off" the wounded, and conducting the ambulances to 
different paits of the field, and can not be too highly com- 
mended. The total loss of the regiment in this action was one 
hundred and nine killed, wounded and missing." 

Next came the pursuit and the engagement at Fisher's Hill, 
and then the pursuit to Harrisonburg. At Fisher's Hill, the 
regiment took a conspicuous part, charging in company with 
the 28th Iowa, and 128th New York, the strong works of the 
enemy, and capturing a six-gun battery and many prisoners. 

The bloody and well-nigh disastrous affair at Cedar Creek, is 
thus given by Adjutant Samuel D. Pryce, the regiment's excel- 
lent historian: 

"On the night of the 18th instant, the 22d Iowa, with the 
brigade under Colonel Mollineaux, was ordered to be ready to 
move at five o'clock on the coming morning, on a reeonnois- 
sance in the direction of Strasburg, to ascertain the force and 
develop the lines of the enemy. Accordingly, at the hour 
designated, the brigade was in line ready to move, when the 
enemy suddenly attacked the extreme left flank of the army, 
consisting of the 8th Corps, taking them completely by sur- 
prise, and routing them from their works, and before day-light 
had succeeded in throwing their entire army in the rear of the 
6th and 19th Corps. At this juncture, the 22d Iowa was 
detached, and double-quicked one-half mile to save a battery 
from capture, and also to protect it until it could take up a new 
position. We had not, however, reached to within two 
hundred yards of the ground, when it was ascertained that the 
enemy had possession of the guns, and were charging over 
their works. The regiment opened fire, and held its ground 



380 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

against the force, checking their advance, but were obliged to 
fall back and join the brigade, to save being isolated and 
captured. In this retreat, the regiment retained its organiza- 
tion, and rallied four times alone, each time checking the 
advance of the enemy. The army fell back gradually for three 
miles in the direction of Winchester, when, General Sheridan 
arriving on the field, the troops re-formed, and preparations 
were made to retrieve the disaster of the morning. General 
Sheridan rode along the line, reviewed the troops, and then 
ordered an advance on the enemy's lines. In the advance, the 
Western regiments were formed together in one line, and the 
duty of changing the fortune of the day confided to their 
intrepid courage. The enemy met the advance with stubborn 
resistance, but were compelled to give way before the tremen- 
dous fighting of General Grover's Division of the 19th Corps. 
The enemy fell back to a line of breast-works, thrown up by 
them in the morning to provide against a reverse, where they 
attempted to make a stand to resist the fierce and determined 
attack of the Western troops, who, with a deafening cheer, 
again charged them, routing them from their breast-works, 
and driving them in confusion in every direction. The disas- 
ter of the morning had been turned into a victory, and the 
army, inspired with success, pursued the routed enemy, driv- 
ing them through the camp occupied in the morning, and over 
Cedar Creek, capturing thousands of prisoners, and a great 
portion of their trains and artillery. The cavalry took up the 
pursuit, making heavy additional captures, rendering the 
defeat of the enemy the most disastrous during the campaign. 
The total loss of the regiment in this hardly-contested battle 
was seventy -seven killed, wounded and missing. 

Among the wounded of the 22d Iowa, in the battle of Cedar 
Creek, were Captains L. F. Mullin, A. B. McCree and Charles 
Hartley, and Lieutenants E. F. Dudley and N. C. Messenger. 
Captain G. W. Clark was captured. 

When Sherman left Savannah and Beaufort, on his march 
northward, the 22d Iowa, with its division, left the Shenan- 
doah Valley for Eastern Georgia; but all the chief points ot 
interest in the regiment's history have been already given. 



COLONEL WILLIAM DEWEY. 

FIRST COLONEL, TWENTY-THIRD INFANTRY. 

William Dewey, the original colonel of the 23d Iowa 
Infantry, and a son of the late Hon. Charles Dewey, a former 
Judge of the Supreme Bench of Indiana, was born on the 26th 
day of March, 1811, in the town of Sheffield, Massachusetts. 
He was educated at the West Point Military Academy, but 
was not, I think, a graduate of the Institution. After leaving 
West Point, he studied law in the office of his father, and was 
admitted to the bar in Indiana, in about the year 1836. He 
practiced the law for a few years, and then abandoned that 
profession for medicine, which he studied at the St. Louis 
Medical College. He completed his medical studies in about 
the year 1842, and soon after came to Iowa, and settled in 
Wapello county. 

In 1850 Colonel Dewey served as one of the commissioners, 

who were appointed from Iowa to settle the boundary line 

between Missouri and this State ; after which he removed to 

Sidney, Fremont County. He practiced medicine in Sidney, 

till the summer of 1861, when, in connection with Colonel H. 

T. Reid, he assisted in recruiting and organizing the 15th Iowa 

Infantry. He was made lieutenant-colonel of that regiment, 

on the 6th of November, 1861, and, early in the following 

Spring, accompanied it to Pittsburg Landing. The 15th Iowa 

reached the Landing on Sunday morning, the 6th of April, 

just as the battle was opening, and was ordered to report to 

General Prentiss. All order however was lost before it reached 

the front, and, really, the regiment fought on its own 

account and independently of the orders of General officers. 

381 



dii'Z IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

Lieutenant-Colonel Dewey served with the 15th Iowa during 
the siege of Corinth, and until the 1st of August, 1862, when he 
was commissioned colonel of the 23d Iowa Infantry. He soon 
joined his regiment at. its rendezvous in Des Moines. 

The 23d Iowa was first stationed at Patterson, Missouri: 
indeed, that was the only point at which it served during the 
life of Colonel Dewey; for he died at that place on the 30th of 
November, 1862, of erysipelas. His affair at Pittman's Ferry, 
on Currant River, is the only one that approached to any thing 
like an engagement during his colonelcy of the 23d Iowa, and 
that resulted in little more than a long, fatiguing march. 

The colonel was a tall, slender man, with gray eyes and 
spare features. He was not at first popular with his regiment. 
He was strict and exacting in his discipline, which did not 
accord with the democratic notions of his men. 



COLONEL WILLIAM H. KINSMAN. 

SECOND COLONEL, TWENTY-THIRD INFANTRY. 

William H. Kinsman, the successor of Colonel Dewey to 
the colonelcy of the 23d Iowa Infantry, was born in Nova Sco- 
tia, in the year 1832. More of his early history I have been 
unable to learn, except that, when about twenty years of age, 
he went to sea, and passed some three years in voyaging. He 
inherited nothing from his parents; nor did he ever receive 
any pecuniary assistance from his friends ; but, by his diligence 
and economy, he collected a few hundred dollars, and, with 
this to defray his expenses, he entered the Columbia County 
Academy, New York. In 1857, he left that institution, and 
went to Cleveland, Ohio, where he attended one course of 
lectures in the law school of that city. 

Early in 1858, he left Cleveland to seek a location in the 
West, and in May of the same year arrived in Council Bluffs, 
having crossed the entire State of Iowa on foot. In Council 
Bluffs he was a total stranger, and, what seemed worse, had 
no money; but he had energy, integrity and ability — a most 
excellent inheritance, and a sure guarrantee of success. Soon 
after arriving at Council Bluffs, he obtained a situation in the 
law office of Clinton & Baldwin, where, passing his time as 
student and clerk, he remained till the fall of 1858. In 1858, 
he was admitted to the bar of the Pottawattamie District 
Court. For a short time after, he taught school in Council 
Bluffs, and at the same time wrote for the press of that city ; 
for he had no means and could not afford to practice his pro- 
fession. 

383 



384 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

In the winter of 1858-9, was the Pike's Peali gold mines 
excitement, and he resolved to visit that new region. That he 
was moneyless, by no means discouraged him : he could make 
the journey on foot. He therefore paclced his scanty wardrobe 
in a knapsack made for the occasion, and, bidding his friends 
good-bye, left Council Bluffs for Denver, on foot. He made 
the trip, visited the mines and all the interesting and import- 
ant localities of the country, and in the following Fall returned 
to Council Bluffs. If we except the experience he gained, he 
came back no richer than he went ; but he lost nothing, and 
thousands were less fortunate than he. While absent in the 
mines, he corresponded with his friends through the Council 
Bluffs "Nonpareil;" and his letters, during this time, consti- 
tuted a new feature of interest in that live and valuable paper. 

Mr. Kinsman was in Council Bluffs at the outbreak of the 
rebellion, and at once volunteered. He also assisted in raising 
the first company that went out from Pottawattamie county. 
On its organization, he was elected its 2d lieutenant : I believe 
that General G. M. Dodge was its captain. This company was 
afterward assigned to the 4th Iowa Infantry, and made Com- 
pany B, of that regiment. At Rolla, Missouri, he was promo- 
ted to a captaincy, and with that rank fought at the battle 
of Pea Ridge. He was detached from his regiment in that 
engagement, and, with two companies (his own and one from 
the 24th Missouri Infantry) deployed as skirmishers, covered 
the left wing of the army. For his vigilance and firmness he 
was afterward handsomely complimented by Colonel, now 
General Dodge. Captain Kinsman was appointed by the Pres- 
ident, in July 1863, assistant adjutant-general to General G. M. 
Dodge ; but declining the commission he continued with his 
regiment until the 2d of the following August, when he 
was promoted to the lieutenant-colonelcy of the 23d Iowa 
Infantry. He joined the regiment at its rendezvous in Des 



WILLIAM H. KINSMAN. 385 

Moines, and served with it till the death of Colonel Dewey, 
when he succeeded to the colonelcy. 

During the winter of 1862-3, the 23d Iowa Infantry was 
attached to the Army of South East Missouri ; but in the 
early Spring it broke camp and proceeded to Milliken's Bend, 
whence it marched on the exciting campaign that resulted in 
the capture of Vicksburg. The close of that campaign Colonel 
Kinsman was destined never to see. On this march the 23d 
Iowa was attached to the division of Carr, of the 13th Army 
Corps, which first crossed the Mississippi River at Bruinsburg, 
and led the advance through the enemy's country to the rear 
of Vicksburg. Port Gibson was the regiment's first battle; 
and in that engagement its loss was thirty-one killed and 
wounded. Six were killed. Among the wounded were Cap- 
tain Henry and Lieutenant Ballard. 

With its division the 23d Iowa was in reserve at Champion's 
Hill; but at Big Black Biver Bridge, on the 17th of May, 
18G3, it most signally distinguished itself. It lost many brave 
officers and men, and among others its noble colonel. 

How General Pemberton, under orders from Joe Johnson, 
left Vicksburg with nearly his entire army to strike and crush 
General Grant; and how Grant, divining his plans, turned 
back on him at Champion's Ilill, and with a force less by one- 
half than the enemy's, not only defeated, but put him to total 
rout, is well known. On the heels of the battle of Champion's 
Hill was that of Big Black River Bridge. Its account will be 
read with interest. I will fii'st quote from the official report of 
General Grant: 

" At day-light on the 17th, the pursuit was renewed with 
McClernand's Corps in the advance. The enemy was found 
strongly posted on both sides of the Black River. At this 
point on Black River, the bluffs extended to the water's edge, 
on the west bank. On the east side is an open cultivated bottom 
of near one mile in width, surrounded by a bayou of stagnant 

25 



386 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

water, from two to three feet in depth, and from ten to twenty 
feet in width, from the river above tlie railroad to tlie river 
below." 

"Following the inside line of this bayou, the enemy had 
constructed rifle-pits, with the bayou to serve as a ditch on the 
outside, and immediately in front of them. Carr's Division 
occupied the right in investing this place, and Lawler's Brigade, 
the right of his division. After a few hours' skirmishing, 
Lawler discovered that, by moving a portion of his brigade 
under cover of the river bank, he could get a position from 
which that place could be successfully assaulted, and ordered a 
charge accordingly. Notwithstanding the level ground over 
which a portion of his troops had to pass without cover, and 
the great obstacle of the ditch in front of the enemy's works, 
the charge was gallantly and successfully made; and in a few 
minutes the entire garrison, with seventeen pieces of artillery, 
were the trophies of this brilliant and daring movement." 

It is to be remembered that the direction of Grant's march 
was from the east. The general course of the Big Black Biver 
is nearly south-west; but, just above the railroad bridge, it 
runs nearly east and west. At the point where the bayou of 
which General Grant sj^eaks puts out, the river bears round to 
the left, and forms a great bend, at the lower point of which 
the bayou again unites with the river. The enemy were behind 
this bayou, and had the river on their right and left, and in 
their rear. Near the middle of this bend, the river is spanned 
by the railroad bridge and on its farther side the high ground, 
which comes squarely up to its bank, was held by the enemy 
and defended by artillery. 

Along the bank of the river on the side where the Federal 
troops were in position was a belt of timber, in which the right 
of Carr's Division rested : the 23d Iowa was the extreme right 
regiment. With this exception, the country in front of the 
enemy was open. The 21st and 23d Iowa regiments made the 
charge, supported by the 22d Iowa and the 11th Wisconsin. 

The position of the two leading regiments just before advan- 



WILLIAM H. KINSMAN. 387 

cing on the enemy's works was in the timber and nearly 

parallel with the river bank; and the movement was to be 

effected by a grand and rapid right wheel, which, as soon as 

the open field was gained, would throw the troops under a 

most murderous fire of musketry and artillery. Eighteen 

cannon were in position on the east side of the river, in 

addition to those on the opposite bluff. The infantry force of 

the enemy could not have been less than five thousand; for 

over two thousand were captured. Had they not fled like base 

cowards, how could there have been a survivor in the two 

leading regiments? This then was the position, and the 

determination and valor which carried it could have been 

scarcely less than that which sealed Fort Donelson. 

Colonel Merrill of the 21st Iowa, and Colonel Kinsman of the 

[ 23d, were to lead their regiments, and, at the request of Colonel 

I Merrill, Colonel Kinsman, who held the inner line, was to give 

the former notice of the moment to move. Soon all was in 

! readiness, and notice was dispatched by an orderly. 

Placing himself now in the front and centre of his regiment, 

j Colonel Kinsman said: " Captains, lead your companies, and 

I I will lead you." The shout was now raised, and the heroes 

' started on the double-quick, with their guns thrown forward, 

i as is usual in a charge. What a moment of agony was it till 

I the enemy opened fire! But the storm of death was not long 

I deferred. There was a sudden crash along the whole 

I rebel line, and instantly a purple cloud of smoke enveloped the 

enemy's breast- works. All anxiety was now gone: the killed 

and wounded dropped upon the ground, while the others, 

closing up their ranks, pressed on to victory. 

Colonel Kinsman had not advanced far till he was struck by 

I a minnie ball in the abdomen, which felled him. Immediately 

rising, he said: — "They have not killed me yet," and still 

moved on ; but he had advanced only a few yards further, 

when he was shot again — this time through the lungs. He 



388 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

fell, mortally wounded; but he said to his regiment as it passed 
him : — "Go on, go on, I can not go with you further." 

Beneath a tree, and near where he fell, Colonel Kinsman 
died. " Bury me," he said, " on the battle-field, and tell my 
friends I did not falter." And thus fell Colonel Kinsman — of 
the Iowa colonels the third, who, at that time, had been killed 
in battle. The country was not his by birth, nor the cause by 
inheritance; and yet he gave his life in their vindication. 
What a lesson is his example and devotion to the base men 
who have struck hands with the Nation's fratricides ! How 
they will covet the glory that will bear his name down to pos- 
terity ! He died to save the counfrg — his, only by choice. 

But, though Colonel Kinsman fell, his regiment did not 
falter; for his last command had been, "Go on, goon." The 
enemy, apalled by such bravery, broke in confusion. They 
all had to cross the bridge, and before that could be accom- 
plished two thousand of them were captured. Colonel Kins- 
man and Colonel Merrill each led their regiment in the charge: 
the former was mortally, and the latter severely wounded. 
Many other brave men fell. The loss of the 23d Iowa alone 
was more than one hundred. But the enemy had been routed, 
and a safe and unmolested passage secured over Big Black 
River. From that time forward, the history of the 23d Iowa 
has been made under Colonel Glasgow. 

I never saw Colonel Kinsman, but learn that he was a man 
of middle size, erect, and well formed. He had fine, brown 
hair, blue eyes, a full, high forehead and regular features. The 
expression of his countenance was frank and pleasing. He 
was of a very sociable and sensitive nature, and made a fast 
friend. In civil life, he never bent his energies long in any 
one direction ; some prophesied he would meet with great 
success at the bar. As a soldier, he stood among the first the 
State has sent to the war. 



BREYET BRIGADIER-GENERAL S. L. GLASGOW. 

j THIRD COLONEL TWENTY-THIRD INFANTRY. 

■ Samuel L. Glasgow is the youngest officer of his rank 
from Iowa. He is a native of Ohio, and was born in Adams 
county of that State, on the 17th of September 1838. His 
education is academic, and was acquired at the South Salem 
I Academy, Eoss county, Ohio. In the fall of 1856, he left his 
home in Tranquillity, and, coming to Iowa, settled in Oska- 
loosa, Mahaska county, where he studied law. He was admit- 
ted to the bar in 1858, and soon after removed to Corydon, 
I Wayne county, where he opened a law office. He practiced 
' his profession in Corydon till the spring of 1861, when he 
entered the service. Corydon is his present home. 

In July, 1861, Mr. Glasgow assisted in enlisting Company I, 
4th Iowa Infantry, of which he was elected and commissioned 
first lieutenant. He served with his regiment in Missouri till 
! the 4th of January, 1862, when ill health compelled him to 
I resign his commission. In the following Summer having 
' recovered his health, he recruited a company for the 23d Iowa 
j Infantry; and, on reporting to his regiment at Des Moines, 
I was made its major; on the first of the following December he 
was promoted to the lieutenant-colonelcy. Colonel Kinsman 
was killed in the charge of his regiment at Big Black River 
Bridge, on the 17th day of INIay, and, two days later, Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel Glasgow was made colonel, or rather the 19th day 
of May, 1863, is the date of his commission. For his gallantry 
at Milliken's Bend, Louisiana, where he saved the place from 
capture and the black troops from massacre, and for general 
good conduct since, he was in the spring of 1865, promoted to 

389 



390 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

brevet brigadier-general. For one so young he has had a 
brilliant military career. 

Since entering the service in 1862, General Glasgow's military 
record has been made with his old regiment. He has served 
with it constantly. At Port Gibson, its first engagement, he 
commanded it ; for at that time Colonel Kinsman was under 
arrest, though for what cause I have been unable to learn. 
That day he distinguished himself, fighting his regiment 
almost from morning till night, without rest or food. He 
engaged the enemy on the left. Brigadier-General E. A. Carr, 
of Pea Ridge fame, commanded the 14th Division, and in his 
roll of honor he speaks thus of the 23d Iowa and its brave 
young commander: "The 23d Iowa, with its gallant com- 
mander, Lieutenant-Colonel S. L. Glasgow, behaved admi- 
rably." 

The battle at Milliken's Bend, Louisiana, was the first in 
which Colonel Glasgow commanded his regiment with his 
new commission. These briefly are its antecedents. After Joe 
Johnson's defeat at Jackson, and Pemberton's at Champion's 
Hill and Big Black River Bridge ; after Sherman had gained 
Haines' Blufi", and formed communication with the outside 
world by way of the Yazoo; Pemberton's grand army was 
shut fast in the very trap which for months the rebel papers 
had declared was set for Grant. This was all very mortifying, 
and the least that could now be done was to raise the siege. 
The enemy, however, boasted that they would capture Grant's 
army. To this end, Johnson, with troops sent him from 
nearly every corner of the Confederacy, was to strike the Fed- 
eral army in the rear, while Holmes, at the same time or a 
little before, was to capture diflerent points held by the Federal 
troops along the Mississippi River. Then, with the Mississippi 
blockaded, and his supplies and reinforcements cut off; with a 
valorous army in his rear, and a co-operating one in his front, 



SAMUEL L. GLASCtOW. 891 

Grant must surrender. This was what they boasted ; but, had 
they released their friends, they would doubtless have felt 
amply compensated. 

Among the points on the Mississippi to be attacked were 
Young's Point, Milliken's Bend and Lake Providence. Milli- 
ken's Bend was the only point where the fighting was severe. 

How the 23d Iowa happened to be in the affair at Milliken's 
Bend is explained thus : The regiment, after the engagement 
at Big Black Biver Bridge, had been detailed as a portion of 
the troops to guard prisoners north, and had made its trip, and 
returned to Young's Point. On the afternoon of the 6th of 
June, word came from Milliken's Bend that the place was 
being threatened by the enemy ; and, that evening. Colonel 
Glasgow received orders to proceed with his regiment to that 
point; for it was garrisoned by only a few colored troops. 
Arriving that night, the colonel reported to the commandant 
of the place, and was advised to retain his regiment on the 
boat, which he did. The commandant anticipated no serious 
attack. 

When day-light broke a strange sight met the eye of the 
regiment. Standing on their boat they first saw commotion 
among the Federal troops on shore, and then looking across the 
broad, open fields that stretch back from Milliken's Bend for 
some half a mile, they saw emerging from the timber and at 
full run a long, rebel line of battle. Instantly Colonel Glas- 
gow prepared to debark his regiment, a task always attended 
with irksome delay. 

Back a few rods from the river bank is the Mississippi levee. 
The black troops were already stationed behind it ; but 
between the enemy and the 23d Iowa there was a race to see 
who would first reach the place. The regiment, after landing, 
started on the run by the right flank and the right of it reached 
the levee just as the enemy came up on the opposite side. 



392 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

The left was still back, and as it came up the enemy poured 

into it a most deadly fire. 

The struggle which now followed, was of the most desperate 
character and the conduct of the 23d Iowa was gallant beyond 
description. The conflict became hand-to-hand, and to give an 
idea of its fierceness I will state that the person of Colonel 
Glasgow was bespattered with the blood and brains of his 
slaughtered men, beaten out with the clubbed muskets of the 
enemy. The contending forces were separated only by the 
levee and several hand-to-hand encounters took place on its 
top. In one instance, a powerful man of the 23d Iowa named 
John Virtue assaulted a rebel with his bayonet. The i)arties 
met on the top of the levee, and after a few parries each pierced 
the other through. They stood thus struggling when another 
soldier of the 23d Iowa, named Thomas McDowell, rushed on 
the rebel and beat his brains out with his musket. Virtue 
afterward died of his wound. The above is an actual occur- 
rence. 

And thus the fighting continued until the arrival of the 
gun-boats from below, when after a few shots the enemy fled to 
the woods. The 23d Iowa lost in this engagement twenty- 
three killed and thirty-four wounded. Captain J. C. Brown 
and Lieutenant Downs were killed ; and among the wounded 
were Major Houston, Captain Dewey and Lieutenants Carlton 
and Dewey. The regiment went into the engagement with 
not above one hundred and ten men. Its losses were frightful. 

At the same time the enemy attacked INIilliken's Bend, other 
commands also attacked the posts at Lake Providence and 
Young's Point. At Young's Point there were but a few shots 
fired. A squad of one hundred or more convalescents were 
kept constantly on the march from one point to another, and 
thus threw the enemy from their reckoning. They thought 
the place was held by a large force, whereas there were few 
troops except these convalescents. 



SAMUEL, L. GLASGOW. 393 

A few days after the fight at Milliken's Bend the 23d Iowa 
re-joined its brigade in rear of Viclcsburg, where it remained 
until the fall of the city, and then marched under General 
Sherman on the second trip to Jackson. Next, it sailed with 
its brigade to Carrollton, Louisiana, and from that point 
marched on the expedition via Bayou Boeuf, Brashear City, 
Berwick Bay and Opelousas to Vermillionville. A history of 
this march will be found in the sketch of the 24th Iowa. 

For a history of the voyage to the Texan coast in the fall of 
1863, and to show the character of services of the 23d Iowa and 
the other Iowa troops of that division while stationed in that 
outside country, I quote from the history of one of the regi- 
ments of the 2d Brigade, (afterward of the 1st) : 

"On the 20th November proceeded down the river and 
crossed the bar into the Gulf of Mexico, at 9 A. M., of the 21st. 
On the 26th, after a stormy and perilous voyage, arrived at the 
mouth of the Rio Grande, and off Brazos Santiago, Texas. 
Here an attempt was made to land a portion of the troops at 
Point Isabel. The ship drawing too much water to cross the 
bar, five companies of the 11th Wisconsin were landed in small 
boats, but during the undertaking — a somewhat hazardous 
one — a storm arose, and the ship was compelled to put to sea 
again, leaving that portion of the troops landed at Point Isa- 
bel. On the evening of the 27th, we arrived off Mustang 
Island, seventy miles from Matagorda Bay, and the storm 
having somewhat abated, succeeded in landing the troops 
safely. On the 29th, proceeded on the expedition against Fort 
Esperanza, commanding the entrance to Matagorda Bay, 
crossed St. Joseph's and Matagorda Islands, and arrived at our 
destination December 1st. The enemy, having blown up their 
magazines, and abandoned their works the night previous, we 
encamped near the port of Saluria. December 2d, crossed Pass 
Cavallo, at the entrance of the bay, and went into camp on the 
Peninsula, at De Crou's Point. Remained at this place until 
January 3d, 1864, when proceeded to Indianola, up the bay, a 
distance of forty miles. The enemy occupied the town, but 
fled at the approach of the Union army. We were quartered 
in houses at Indianola about tliree weeks, when the brigade 



394 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

was ordered to Old Indianola, where it went into winter quar- 
ters. While at Old Indianola, the 1st and 2d Brigades were 
consolidated, and formed the 1st Brigade of the 1st Division; 
the former commanded by Brigadier-General Fitz Henry 
Warren, and the latter successively by Generals Washburne, 
Dana, and Benton. 

"On the 13th day of March, the troops evacuated the town 
and returned to Matagorda Island. All other troops of the 
13th Army Corps having left the Island, the 1st Division under 
command of General Dana was assigned to the defenses of the 
coast at this point. ********* 

" On the 21st of April, was ordered to embark on board the 
steamers, and proceed on an expedition, under command of 
General Warren in person, to Port Lavacca, a distance of sev- 
enty miles from the mouth of the bay, and thirty miles above 
Indianola ; the object of which was to obtain lumber for the 
completion of the forts, and other works already constructed 
on the island. We arrived in front of town at noon on the 23d 
instant, when the enemy, consisting of one company of Wall's 
cavalry, seeing the approach of the steamers, fled to the coun- 
try. Port Lavacca is beautifully situated on the west bank of 
Lavacca Bay, and contained before the war nearly two thousand 
inhabitants." 

On the receipt of the news of disaster to Banks up the Red 
River in the latter part of April, 18G4, the Texan coast was 
abandoned by the chief portion of the Federal troops, they 
being ordered to report to that officer ; for Banks had caught 
the bear, and he wanted reinforcements "to help him let go." 
The fleet bearing the command proceeded up the Red River 
as far as Fort De Russey. Here the river was found obstruc- 
ted and the troops returning to its mouth disembarked. They 
remained in camp till Banks was about to work his way 
through to Simmsport when they proceeded to the latter 
place. But the history of these operations, and of those in 
which the 23d Iowa took part during the following Summer 
and Fall are void of much interest. Colonel Glasgow and the 
23d Iowa have more recently distinguished themselves in the 



SAMUEL L. GLASGOW. 395 

operations around Mobile. Leaving Morganzia on the oth of 
January, 1865, the colonel proceeded with his regiment to 
Kennerville about twenty-five miles above New Orleans, and 
then prepared for the coming Spring Campaign. The 23d 
Iowa operated under Granger, and marched to the rear of 
Spanish Fort from Mobile Point, crossing Fish River at Dan- 
ley's Mill or Ferry. With the 19th Iowa, 20th Wisconsin and 
94th Illinois the 23d held the extreme left of the Federal line 
and in pushing its approaches toward Spanish Fort led every 
regiment of its division. Indeed General Granger issued 

I orders I am told for it to cease work till the balance of his 
troops could dig their way up. 

To show the zeal with which the officers and men worked, I 
give the following: 
The country in which the left of Granger's command operated 

! was a level sandy plain, and no one could rise from the trenches 
without being exposed to the fire of the enemy's sharp-shooters. 
In front of Colonel Glasgow's line, which was not more than 

I seventy-five or eighty yards from the enemy's works, was a 

I rail pen near which he was desirous to start a trench, to meet 

I another, being dug on the left of his line. 

To R. W. Cross, a gallant young oflicer, and some half-dozen 
of his men was entrusted this dangerous work. I need not 
add that it was successfully accomplished, only one man was 
wounded. The party were obliged to run nearly fifty yards 
under the enemy's fire, before reaching cover ; the captain and 
each man carried a gun and shovel. 

There is little more of special interest in the history of the 
23d Iowa. After the fall of Mobile it accompanied the Federal 
forces to Texas. It will probably soon be mustered out of the 
service. 

I Without regard to his age, General Glasgow is one of the 

I bravest and best ofiicers of the volunteer service. He is taU 



396 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

and slender in person, has black hair and eyes, and a lively 
intelligent countenance. He is a much better looking man 
than his portrait represents. 

■ I am told that in battle he is gallant in the extreme : that, 
if there is a charge to be made, he never sends, but leads 
his men. At Spanish Fort, he was anxious to assault the ene- 
my, whom he believed to be evacuating the place; (which 
afterward proved true ) but the brigade commander would not 
consent. *' The ground is full of shells, and we shall be all 
blown to pieces." " Who cares for the shells ? " replied Glas- 
gow, '* my regiment will follow me." 
He is the model of a gallant, chivalric young officer. 



COLONEL EBER C. BY AM. 

TWEXTY-FOURTH INFANTEY. 

Eber C. Byam was born in Canada West, in the year 1826. 
All that I know of him prior to entering the service is, he was 
a Methodist preacher. He was made colonel of the 24th Iowa, 
on the 7th day of August, 1SG2, and served with his regiment 
tiU after the fall of Vicksburg, when he resigned his commis- 
sion. 

The history of the 24th Iowa up to the time its brigade 
reported to Carrollton, Louisiana, in the sununer of 1863, will 
be found substantially in the sketches of Colonels Miller and 
Connell, of the 28th Iowa. It fought at the battles of Port 
Gibson, and Champion's Hill, and took part in the siege of 
Vicksburg. At Champion's Hill, its position was to the right 
of the 28th Iowa; and, like that regiment, it was among the 
first troops to engage the enemy. Its loss in that engagement 
was terribly severe, and was chiefly sustained while charging, 
capturing and holding a rebel battery in its front. The act 
was daring in the extreme. Leaving its place in the line, it 
advanced on the battery without any support, and without 
any disposition being made to protect its flanks. It accord- 
ingly became an object of the enemy's concentrated fire, which 
in a short time disorganized it. It retired to the rear in 
disorder, and took no further part in the engagement. The 
loss of the regiment in the engagement I have been unable to 
learn. 

The 24th Iowa reached Carrollton, about the middle of Aug- 
ust, 1868, where it remained one month in camp, and then left 
with its division on an expedition up the Teche. For a history 

397 



398 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

of this march, the object of which I never knew, I refer to an 
account, given by the chaplain of the 28th Iowa. 

" On the 13th of September, we received orders from General 
Banks to move, which proved to be over the railroad, west 
from New Orleans, or rather Algiers, to Brashear. * * We 
commenced moving up Bayou Teche on the 3d of October; 
and, after a slow march which gave ample time to forage 
through a beautiful country, abounding in beef and sweet 
potatoes, orange groves and sugar plantations, reached Opelou- 
sas on the 23d instant, a distance of one hundred miles. It is 
needless to say that when the luxuries of this clime got in our 
way we ate them. The authorities would sometimes interdict 
them ; yet, it required a fine taste to tell the difference, while 
the ingenuity of the men seemed fully up to the exigency of 
possessing themselves of any thing they needed as food. No 
enemy of strength being found, this expedition was evidently 
at a terminus. * * * * 

"On the first day of November, General Franklin com- 
menced a retrograde movement, and we began failing back in 
the direction of Franklin. No sooner had we commenced fall- 
ing back than the enemy began to harass our rear and flanks. 
We reached Carrion Crow Bayou, on the second day, and 
remained here till the 7th instant. One brigade of the 4th 
Division, under command of General Burbridge, being left at 
Grand Chateau, four miles in our rear, were, on the 3d instant, 
attacked by the enemy. The regiment, with a part of our 
division, was ordered out to his assistance. We went promptly 
at double-quick for three miles; for it was apparent that the 
enemy were pressing him severely, that they had already 
turned his left flank, and were gaining his rear. This brought 
our troops directly facing the foe, who were already flushed 
with success. Teams and numerous attendants were stam- 
peding to the rear, and great danger of confusion and disaster 
was imminent. Our division was hastily put in line, and the 
command to charge given, when the whole command went in 
at double-quick, with fixed bayonets. This the enemy could 
not stand, and they fell back in confusion, leaving their dead 
and wounded. In the meantime the rebels had sent a force to 
attack our camps, and the firing of our pickets soon became 
spirited. A detachment of the 24th Iowa was thrown out to 
their support. The sick and lame, to the last man, were 



EBER C. BYAM. 399 

ordered out, and hobbled into the ranks; but, after a brisk 
engagement with our pickets, the rebels retired, leaving two of 
their men dead. Our teams, which had been hurried out with 
our camp equipage, returned, and all was again quiet. 

" On the morning of the 9th of November, we moved toward 
Vermillionville ; but when within six miles of that place, the 
enemy made demonstrations upon our rear, and the command 
halted. Our brigade was formed to receive the attack, but the 
enemy came no further than our skirmishers, and we continued 
the march and went into camp near Vermillionville, in a 
drenching rain." 

In this connection the author speaks of an incident, like 
examples of which have been often witnessed at new encamp- 
ments. I allude to the tearing down of rebel buildings by 
the soldiers and the construction of chebcmgs with the material. 
The rebels called it vandalism, but I have often witnessed the 
operation with admiration. Two-story dwellings, with out- 
houses, have been utterly demolished in ten minutes time. 
While witnessing the performance one could think of nothing 
but an unfortunate caterpillar, dropped by accident in an ant- 
bed. 

The 24th Iowa remained at Vermillionville till about the 
20th of November, when it fell back to the rebel Camp Pratt, 
and the next day to New Iberia, at the head of navigation on 
the Teche. Here the regiment remained till the middle of 
December, and then returned to Berwick, and in a short time 
proceeded to Madisonville, on Lake Pontchartrain. At Madi- 
sonville the regiment went into quarters, and remained until 
General Banks organized his Red River Campaign. The 24th 
joined in that celebrated failure, a history of which will be 
found in the sketch of Colonel Connell and the 28th Iowa. 

The 24th Iowa reached Morganzia Bend, on the 22d of May, 
1864, after the nine days' exhausting march from Alexandria. 
Here it remained till about the middle of June, when, with its 
brigade, it was ordered down to Carrollton and thence west to 



400 IOWA COLONELS AND KEGIMENTS. 

Thibadaux, to anticipate General Dick Taylor, who, with a 
large force, was reported to be moving on Brashear. But 
nothing came of this expedition, and on the Gth of the follow- 
ing July the troops struck tents and moved back to Algiers. 

Early in July a portion of the 19th Corps as re-organized was 
summoned to the Eastern Department, and preparations were 
made for its hasty departure. Grant needed these troops at 
Petersburg, and Sheridan, in the valley of the Shenandoah ; 
and there was little now that required their services on the 
Gulf. Steele was in danger of being driven from Little Bock, 
and a portion of the 19th Corps was dispatched to his assist- 
ance : the balance took boats for Fortress Monroe. The 24th 
and 2Sth Iowa left New Orleans for the last named place on 
the 22d of July. The 22d Iowa with its brigade had left for 
the same destination several days before. This was an event- 
ful passage in the history of these regiments, and, when well 
out in the Gulf the news was broken to them that they were 
going to the Potomac, it was hailed with universal acclama- 
tion. No Iowa soldier had as yet trod the soil of Virginia. 
All his fame had been earned in south-western dejmrtments, 
and he was impatient to measure his bayonet with those of the 
boasted Virginia veterans. 

For these troops this was the first ocean trip. They had 
made short journeys on the Gulf, but none of sufficient length 
to make them familiar with that detestable, though invigora- 
ting sickness, which is certain to overwhelm all new voyagers. 
They wore not more fortunate than others ; for, says the chap- 
lain of the 28th Iowa, when the sickness was on them, they 
were at first afraid they would die, and then afraid they would 
not. The hardest feature of the journey was the crowded 
condition of the boats; this, with the hot weather and the 
meager supply of fresh water, put many on the sick list, and, 
as soon as land was made, in the hospitals. 



EBER C. BYAM. 401 

After touching at Fortress Monroe, the fleet proceeded to 
Alexandria, where the troops were debarked and transferred 
by ferry to Washington. From Washington they were ordered 
by General Augur, to the Shenandoah. The 24th and 28th 
Iowa were the first Iowa troops in the National Capital, and 
their march down Pennsylvania Avenue is thus referred to 
by Chaplain Simmons, who has published a history of his 
regiment. 

"About noon of the 3d, we started from the depot, passing 
down Pennsylvania Avenue, with our battle-worn colors float- 
ing over the column. * * The fame of Iowa troops had been 
long talked of in Washington, and now, for the first time, its 
people looked on living Iowa regiments. Much interest 
seemed to be manifested by the citizens. The boys caught the 
enthusiasm, and their soldierly deportment evinced their 
appreciation, and called out from the public press honorable 
mention. I can not fail to mention that citizens of Iowa 
thronged to greet us. Many others, gentlemen, ladies and 
children, mingled in the throng, to lavish their sympathies 
upon these brave men. Men of position and influence gave 
their congratulations; children mingled with the soldiers; and 
the ladies— God bless them— blushed not to smile their sym- 
pathies upon our war-worn veterans." 

From Washington, the 24th Iowa, with its brigade and 
division, marched by way of Snicker's Gap to Berry ville, 
where they formed a junction with Sheridan. Sheridan as 
elsewhere stated was at the time falling back before Early ; 
and, after the arrival of the 19th Corps, he continued his 
retrograde movement till he arrived first, at Charlestown and 
then, near the bights of Harper's Ferry, where he threw up 
fortifications. After resting five days in this position, he 
moved forward to Charlestown, and two weeks later again 
advanced, encountering the enemy near Berryville. Early fell 
back across the Opequan to near Winchester, and both armies 
fortified. This was on the 8th of September. Eleven daj-s 



402 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

later, the advance was resumed down the rugged Berryville 
pike, and the enemy encountered, when was fought the des- 
perate battle of Winchester or Opequan Creek, the first of the 
series which utterly demolished the invincible cohorts of 
Early. 

The 22d, 24th, and 28th Iowa fought together in this engage- 
ment ; and their services on the field were nearly the same. I 
have been unable to obtain the ofiicial report of Colonel Wilds, 
the commanding officer of the 24th Iowa, and therefore append 
an extract from the report of Lieutenant-Colonel B. W. 
Wilson of the 28th. The two regiments fought side by side : 

" Early on the morning of the 19th, we broke camp near 
Berryville, and proceeded with the rest of the brigade on the 
Wmchester pike. After crossing the Opequan, I formed in 
line of battle, my regiment occupying the extreme left of the 
brigade, and, on receiving orders to advance, immediately 
moved forward, and was soon warmly engaging the enemy. 
The 1st Brigade of our division being in advance was pressed 
back through our lines; yet we moved steadily forward for 
almost fifty yards, under one of the hottest fires of shot shell 
and canister I ever witnessed. Here I was ordered to halt. 
At this point the fighting was most terrific ; yet I am happy to 
say that none showed a disposition to either shrink from duty 
or to Ml back. * * We followed the retiring foe beyond 
Winchester, where night overtook us and we lay down to 
brood over the events of the day." 

As stated in the sketch of Colonel Graham of the 22d Iowa, 
the first successes of tlie 19th Corps were changed into reverses,' 
threatening to make the contest a defeat, almost before it had 
become a battle. In the midst of the confusion that followed 
the well-nigh disastrous repulse, was an example of coolness 
and courage on the part of an officer of the 24th Iowa, which is 
thus recorded by one who took part in the engagement: 

"One instance of coolness and discipline, which contrasted 
curiously with the general panic, was noticed by Captain Brad- 
bury of the 1st Maine Battery. * * Through the midst of 



EBER C. BYAM. 403 

the confusion came a captain of infantry— William T. Bigby 
of the 24th Iowa — leading a sergeant and twelve men, all 
marching as composedly as if returning from drill. * Captain, 
you are not going to retreat any further, I hope?' said Brad- 
bury. 'Certainly not,' was the reply. 'Halt; about-face. 
Three cheers, men ; hip, hip, hurrah ! ' The little band cheered 
lustily. It ivas the first note of defiance that broke the desperate 
monotony of the panic. It gave heart to every one who heard 
it, and made an end of retreat in that part of the field. In a 
few minutes, the platoon swelled to a battalion, composed of 
men from half a dozen regiments." 

On the 20th instant, Sheridan pressed the pursuit, and, 
passing through Strasburg, found the enemy entrenched on 
Fisher's Hill. They were again encountered and so severely 
punished that their retreat became a hopeless rout. Sheridan 
followed them to beyond Harrisonburg, and then fell back to 
Cedar Creek, where he arrived on the 10th of October, and 
where he fought, on the 19th instant, the remarkable battle 
bearing that name. 

I give below Lieutenant-Colonel Wright's account of the 
part the 24th Iowa sustained in the battle of Cedar Creek. 
After having stated preliminarily, that his regiment was, at 
5 o'clock in the morning of the 19th, in line of battle and 
ready to march with its brigade on a reconnoissance, the colonel 
says: 

" At ten minutes past 5 o'clock, firing commenced on the 
picket line of the 8th Corps. Supposing it to be only a recon- 
noissance by the enemy, it created but little alarm. In a few 
minutes heavy firing commenced on the left and front of the 
8th Corps. It was not yet day-light, and a dense fog, which 
had settled to the ground, rendered it almost impossible to 
distinguish objects at any distance. Soon after the firing com- 
menced on the left, the brigade was ordered to move by the 
left flank, until the left of the 24th Iowa rested on the pike. 

"Colonel Wilds ordered me to ride to the left of the regiment, 
and lead it to the place indicated, but before reaching the pike, 
I was ordered to halt, and take position, as we were already 



404 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

receiving the enemy's fire. * * The fog was so dense that it 
was impossible to tell what was in front of us, and as the 8th 
Corps was falling back at the time, our fire was reserved until 
the enemy had pressed his columns close up to and charged the 
battery on the right, one piece of which was captured. We 
held the position, however, until Colonel Shunk, discovering 
that the enemy had thrown a column across the pike on our 
left, ordered the brigade to fall back about five hundred yards, 
and take position parallel to, and facing the pike. This was 
done in good order, and the position taken and held, until it 
became necessary, in the opinion of General Grover, to fall 
back, in order to prevent being cut off entirely. (Up to this 
time the regiment had lost six men killed, and about forty 
wounded.) The order was given to fall back as rapidly as pos- 
sible in the direction of the camp of the 6th Corps. The enemy 
came in heavy force on our left, and captured four officers and 
about forty men. The brigade fell back about one mile, and 
formed between the 1st Brigade, General Birge, and the 6th 
Corps, which was on the left. Previous to this time, Colonel 
AVilds had been wounded, and carried from the field. I had 
also received a bruise on my hip from a piece of shell, and a 
wound from a musket-ball in the left arm near the elbow, 
which sickened me so that I could not ride for near an hour, 
and the regiment was commanded by Captain L. Clark, 
during my absence. 

" Soon after I returned to the regiment, which was then in 
the position above mentioned, the enemy made a flank move- 
ment to the left of the 6th Corps, rendering it necessary for it 
to fall back, and we were ordered to retire by the right of regi- 
ments to the rear. We moved in this manner nearly three 
miles, halted, took position, procured ammunition, and pre- 
pared to renew the battle. After we had rested about half an 
hour, Major-General Sheridan came on the field, having been 
absent since the morning of the 18th. He ordered the 8th 
Corps to take position on the left of the pike between Middle- 
town and Newtown, the 6th Corps the centre and the 19th Corps 
the right. Sent two divisions of cavalry to the right, and one 
to the rear. 

" The 4th Brigade was formed on the extreme left of the 19th 
Corps, connecting with the right of the 6th Corps. In this 



EBEB C. BYAM. 405 

position the troops were ordered to rest, and throw up some 
temporary works. 

" About 12 o'clock I was ordered to move the 24th Iowa to 
the extreme right of the 19th Corps, and protect the flank. I 
immediately moved to the place indicated, took position, and 
threw out a skirmish line. In this position I remained until 
3 o'clock P. M., when I received orders to call in my skirmish- 
ers, and take my place in the line, as it was going to advance. 
My skirmishers had just reported when the advance was 
sounded. In order to get my position in the line, I had to 
double-quick about one mile, and during the greater part of 
this distance, we had to pass through the fire of the enemy's 
guns, which overshot our advancing columns, the shells 
exploding in the rear. About 3} o'clock, I got my place in the 
line, which steadily advanced, driving the enemy from every 
position taken until we reached the camp we left in the 
morning. Here we halted, and made some cofi'ee (those of us 
who were fortunate enough to have any), the first we had 
tasted since the evening of the 18th. We found one wounded 
officer there, who had hidden among the rocks during the day, 
and quite a number of our wounded men. Every thing was 
taken from our camp, leaving the men and most of the officers 
without haversacks, blankets, or shelter tents. 

"At 8 o'clock P. M., the regiment moved forward, with 
the brigade, to a point near Strasburg, to protect the parties 
that were sent out to collect the property abandoned by the 
enemy in his hasty retreat. There we bivouacked for the 
night, without fires, the men sufltering severely for want of 
blankets and proper clothing to protect them from the excess- 
ive cold." 

" On the following morning (20th) the remainder of the 2d 
Division came up, and we went into camp about one mile from 
Strasburg. 

" It would appear invidious to mention individual cases of 
gallantry during the day, when all, both men and officers, did 
their whole duty. I can not close, however, without referring 
to the bravery of our lamented Colonel Wilds, who was 
wounded soon after day-light, and died November 18th. In 
him we lost a noble, brave, and efficient officer." 

Each of the three Iowa regiments were conspicuous in the 



406 IOWA COLONELS AND BEGIMENTS. 

battles of Opequan, Fisher's Hill, and Cedar Creek. In those 
of Winchester or Opequan and Cedar Creek, the 24th suffered 
severely. In the battle of Opequan, the 24th Iowa lost two offi- 
cers and nine men killed, and four officers and fifty-six men 
wounded. Captain J. B. Gould and Lieutenant S. S. Dillman 
were killed ; and Captain S. J. McKinley, Lieutenant and Adju- 
tant D. W. Camp, and Lieutenants W. W. Edgington and R. 
S. Williams, were wounded. At Fisher's Hill, the loss of the 
regiment was only one officer and four men wounded. The 
regiment lost, at Cedar Creek, seven men killed; six officers 
and thirty-nine men wounded, and two officers and thirty-nine 
men captured. The wounded officers were Colonel John Q. 
Wilds, Major Edward Wright, Captains A. R. Knott, E. H. 
Pound and A. M. Loomis, and Lieutenant C. H. Kurtz. Col- 
onel Wilds was thirty-nine years of age; was a native of Penn- 
sylvania, and entered the service from Mount Vernon. Before 
going to Virginia, he had commanded his regiment for several 
months. The 24th Iowa is known as the "Methodist Regi- 
ment." 



COLONEL GEORGE AUGUSTUS STONE. 

TWENTY-FIFTH INFANTRY. 

George Augustus Stone is a native of New York State, 
and was born in the town of Schoharie, on the 13th of October, 
1833. In 1839 his father removed with his family to the then 
Territory of Iowa, and settled in Washington county. Her§ 
young Stone resided, attending common school a principal por- 
tion of the time, till 1849, when he removed to Mt. Pleasant. 
After completing his studies at the Mt. Pleasant schools, he 
was received into the banking house at that place, and, in 1851 , 
was appointed cashier of the bank, which position he held till 
■ the spring of 1861. Early in the spring of 1861 he assisted in 
I recruiting Company F, 1st Iowa Infantry, Captain Samuel M. 
} Wise, and on its organization was elected its first lieutenant. 
I He served with his regiment in Missouri during its three 
' month's term of service, and took part in the battle of Wil- 
1 son's Creek. 

I Lieutenant Stone's term of service in the 1st Iowa expired 
I in August, and, in the following October, he was commis- 
sioned a major in the 4th Iowa Cavalry, with which regiment 
he served till the 10th of August, 1862, when he was promoted 
to the colonelcy of the 25th Iowa Infantry. 

In November, 1862, Colonel Stone's regiment arrived at 
Helena, Arkansas, whence it sailed, in the latter part of 
December following, on the expedition against Vicksburg by 
way of Chickasaw Bayou. Chickasaw Bayou was its first 
engagement. Its second was Arkansas Post, and there, like 
the 26th Iowa, it suffered severely, losing in killed and wounded 
more than sixty. The regiment was attached to Hovey's 

407 



408 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

Brigade, of Steele's Division — the division whicli did the fight- 
ing and captured the strong-hold. It served as a support to 
the 76th Ohio, and just in rear of that regiment charged 
through an open field in the face of a withering fire from the 
enemy's artillery and musketry. Passing the enemy's obstruc- 
tions, it advanced to within one hundred yards of their works ; 
and in that position engaged them for nearly three hours, and 
until the garrison surrendered. So cool and gallant was its 
conduct, that a Texan colonel, captured with the garrison, 
remarked: "I was almost sure those were Iowa troops-" 

Five commissioned ofiicers were wounded in this engage- 
ment—Captains Palmer and Bell, and Lieutenants Stark, Orr, 
and Clark. Nine enlisted men were killed, among whom were 
Sergeant Zickafoose, and Corporals Wilson and James W. 
Thompson. Adjutant S. P. Clark, who was wounded severely 
in the leg, was conspicuous for his cool and gallant conduct. 
" He earned and received the praise of the entire regiment." 
Privates Hiram Payne and B. F. Weaver, who bore the colors 
of the regiment, earned and received equal praise. 

After the Deer-Creek-Sun-Flower-&c. exjjedition, the 25th 
Iowa marched with Sherman, via Jackson, to the rear of 
Vicksburg; but, like the 26th Iowa, failed to meet the enemy 
till it arrived before the doomed city. Being in the same 
division with the 26th Iowa, its services before Vicksburg 
were nearly the same as those of that regiment. In the charge 
of the 22d of May, it was one of the front regiments in the 
charging line, and, with its colonel in the advance, moved 
against a strong fort on the north side of the city. It passed 
unfalteringly through the galling fire that met it as it moved 
upon and along the bights in plain view and within shot range 
of the enemy, but was unable to carry the rebel works, and 
after holding its position till night was, with the balance of 
the division, ordered to retire to the position it occupied in the 



GEORGE A. STONE. 409 

morning. On that day, Private Isaac Mickey, of the enlisted 
men of the regiment, most distinguished himself. 

An account of the march on Jackson, Mississippi, and the 
evacuation of that city by Johnson, after the fall of Vicksburg, 
having been given in other parts of this volume, I need simply 
state that the 25th Iowa took part in those operations. After 
the termination of that expedition, the regiment returned with 
its division to the Big Black River, where it remained till the 
23d of September following, when it moved with General 
Sherman on the march to Chattanooga. The 1st Division of 
the 15th Corps, to which the 25th Iowa was attached and 
which was commanded by Brigadier-General P. J. Osterhaus, 
was the only one that engaged the enemy on this march. The 
fighting, which was not severe, took place at and between 
Cherokee Station, Alabama, and Tuscumbia, and, to give an 
idea of its character, I quote from the ofllcial statement of 
Colonel George A. Stone : 

" On Sunday evening, October 25th, at Cherokee, our divi- 
sion received marching orders for 4 A. M. next day; and 
accordingly the division moved at the hour indicated, in the 
direction of Tuscumbia, in light marching order, and in fine 
fighting condition. The 1st Brigade, Brigadier-General C. R. 
Woods commanding, had the advance, and ours, the 2d 
Brigade, Colonel A. J. Williamson commanding, the rear. 
General Osterhaus' orders were very imperative and strict 
concerning the tactical arrangement of battalions, as the 
enemy, but some three miles in front of us, was composed 
entirely of cavalry, and our equal fully in numerical strength. 
About two miles from camp we met the enemy's skirmishers, 
and here formed line of battle, the 1st Brigade on the right, 
and the 2d on the left, with one of the other divisions of our 
corps as a reserve. My position was on the extreme left, and, 
n accordance with orders, I formed a square to repel cavalry, 
first, however, having covered my front properly with skir- 
mishers. Our skirmishers pushed the enemy so vigorously 
and our lines followed so promptly, that, after a short resist- 
ance, he fell back to another position some four miles to his 



10 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS . 

rear, and made another stand. The same disposition was 
made again by our division, the same sharp, short fighting, 
and the same result — the retreat of the enemy. We continued 
this skirmishing during the entire day, and renewed it on the 
27th, literally fighting them from Cherokee to Tuscumbia,- 
We entered the town at 3 P. M. on the 27th." 

The 25th Iowa in these operations lost only one man — Ser- 
geant Nehemiah M. Redding —who was killed on the skirmish 
line. Other regiments suffered more severely. In this connec- 
tion I should state that there had been fighting on the 21st of 
the same month, on the entrance of Osterhaus' Division into 
Cherokee Station. It was in the affair of that day that the 
lamented Colonel Torrence, of the 30th Iowa, was killed. 

Returning to Cherokee on the 28th instant. Colonel Stone 
marched thence with his regiment back to Chickasaw Land- 
ing, and crossed the Tennessee with his division, on the 4th of 
November. The march from that point to Chattanooga was 
continued without incident. The division of Osterhaus not 
arriving till the evening of the 23d of November, and being 
too late to operate with Sherman above Chattanooga, was 
ordered to report to General Hooker, who, on the following 
day, was to assault the enemy on Lookout Mountain. For the 
part taken by the 25th Iowa in the engagement on and around 
Lookout Mountain, on the 24th of November, I again quote 
from a statement of Colonel Stone : 

"Al9:30, A. M., I had orders to go to the front, just 
under a point of rocks on Lookout Mountain, to support the 
guns of Battery I, 1st New York Artillery, now in position, 
and two of which guns were protected by being hastily case- 
mated. This position I retained during the day, and on 
account of the admirable place for defense, and the inability of 
the enemy to sufliciently depress his guns, I found at dark I 
had not lost a man. 

"Nothing could exceed the grandeur of this battle from the 
point at which we viewed it. [The position of the 25th Iowa 
was at a point on the north end of Lookout Mountain] . Every 



I GEORGE A. STONE. 411 

I gun from Raccoon Mountain to Moccasin Point was in plain 
I view, and our lines of infantry so close that acquaintances were 
j easily recognized. At 12 M., the grand attack began, and 
I soon the smoke of the battle hung over and enveloped the 
i mountain, like a funeral pall; and the whole battle, like a 
I panorama, passed around and before us." 
I This was the first battle whose progress the 25th Iowa had 
witnessed without being engaged ; and the recollections of that 
' afternoon will never be effaced from the memories of the regi- 
ment. But the scenery of the following night was even more 
1 terribly magnificent; for the fighting continued around and up 
I the mountain until long after mid-night. 

In the engagement on Lookout Mountain, the regiment suf- 
j fered no loss: nor did it, in that of the following day on Mission 
j Ridge. In the latter it was not engaged, being detached, with 
the 26th Iowa, for the purpose of anticipating an attack, which 
it was supposed two regiments of rebel cavalry designed 
1 making on the left. But it followed in pursuit of General 
JBragg's flying forces to Ringgold, and engaged the enemy 
there in their strong works, on the morning of the 27th of 
November. 

Ringgold, which is planted among the broken, irregular hills 
of Northern Georgia, is about twenty-five miles south of Chat- 
jtanooga. On a line of these hills the enemy had taken up an 
lintrenched position in considerable force, which, contrary to 
the expectation of General Osterhaus, they held stubbornly. 
To dislodge them it became necessary to deploy the division so 
as to carry the works by assault. The position of the ;.25th 
Iowa, in the assaulting line, was at the front and on the 
extreme left in an open field. On the hill in its front were the 
enemy, protected by abattis and breast-works. A point of this 
hill, which was rocky and in places precipitous, extended down 
to the field where the 25th stood in position. Up this the regi- 
ment was to charge. On rugged points, both to the right and 



412 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

left, the enemy's infantry were posted, so as to rake by a right 
and left flanking fire the assaulting party. In front of the 
regiment were two rebel colors, defended doubtless by two 
rebel regiments. This then was the position of the 25th Iowa, 
when the advance was sounded. 

The contest now began along the whole line, and lasted for 
about an hour ; when the enemy, no longer able to withstand 
the cool, steady valor of their assailants, fled from their works 
and hastened on to Dal ton. 

The loss of the 25th Iowa at Ringgold was twenty-nine 
wounded. None were killed. Of the twenty-one officers who 
entered the fight, seven were struck. 

After the battle at Ringgold, the 25th Iowa marched back to 
Chattanooga, and thence, via Bridgeport, to Woodville, Ala- 
bama, where, with its brigade, it went into Winter quarters. 
It remained in Winter quarters, however, only about a month; 
for, on the organization of General Matthies' temporary Divi- 
sion to march to the relief of Knox ville, it was assigned to that 
command, and on the 11th of February, 1864, broke camp and 
again took the field. It was rumored when the division left 
Bridgeport, that it was to march only to Chattanooga, where, 
being relieved by other troops, it would be permitted to remain 
on guard-duty. But there was in store no such good fortune; 
for, on the morning of the 16th instant, it resumed the march 
eastward in the direction of Cleveland. 

It was now the season of the year when the Southern 
Winter was breaking, and the alternating rain and sunshine, 
and cold and heat did not contribute to the good nature of the 
troops; and, as they trudged on through the mud, their minds 
soured at what they called the injustice of the commanding; 
general. "He don't care a d— n, as long as he can ride a 
horse," and "If I could catch him a-foot, if I didn't give him 
an appetite for his hafd-tac/c,^^ and other like expressions were 



GEORGE A. STONE. 413 

not unfrequently heard on this march. No veteran infantry 
trooper will wonder at these spiteful ebullitions ; for it should 
be remembered that these troops were all of the 15th Corps, 
who, during the three past months, had marched nearly four 
hundred miles, and fought in three hard battles. 

After the march to Cleveland, which resulted in nothing of 
special interest, the 25th Iowa returned to Woodville, where it 
remained till its division left for the front to join General 
Sherman in his grand campaign against Atlanta. The events 
of that campaign, in which the 25th Iowa took an honorable 
part, will be found elsewhere, as will also the history of Sher- 
man's march from Atlanta to Savannah, and from Savannah 
to Raleigh, North Carolina. 

In the operations of General Sherman in his march from 
Savannah to Raleigh, the capture of Columbia, South Carolina, 
is conspicuous. The credit of this affair belongs to the Iowa 
Brigade of the 15th Corps, to which the 25th Iowa Infantry 
was attached. 

j The question as to who was entitled to the honor of having 
1 first planted the American Flag on the Capitol buildings at 
Columbia, has been in some doubt. It is claimed by Justin C. 
Kennedy of the 13th Iowa, and by Colonel George A. Stone. 
The following I believe to be correct history : The 15th Corps' 
Iowa Brigade, commanded by Colonel G. A. Stone, forced the 
enemy back and captured the city ; but in the meantime, Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Kennedy, with a few men, crossed the Congaree 
in a rickety boat, and, hurrying on to the city, succeeded in 
first gaining both the old and new Capitol buildings. The harv- 
ner of the 13th Iowa, in the hands of Colonel Kennedy, was the 
prst to wave from the buildings ; but the first American Flag 
was that belonging to the 31st Iowa, which was planted by 
the hands of Colonel Stone. But Iowa's brave sons should not 



414 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

allow jealousies to sully their fair fame. It is enough for the 
State to know that her soldiery received the surrender of 
Columbia. 

For several weeks after the battles around Chattanooga, Col- 
onel Stone commanded the Iowa Brigade. lie also com- 
manded this brigade on the march from Savannah to Goldsboro 
and Raleigh. He is an excellent young officer — prompt, pre- 
cise and sprightly. He is a middle-sized man, with black hair, 
and merry, brown eyes. In appearance, he is quite youthful. 
I never saw him but once, and that was while I was in the 
service, and just after he had succeeded to a brigade command. 
A stalwart captain was riding by his side, and both were 
enveloped in ponchos; for it rained in those days about Bridge- 
port. The captain I took for the commander, and the colonel 
for an aid, or orderly. 

The colonel is proud and ambitious, and is happily free from 
that self-importance — a sort of pseudo-dignity — which seems 
to afflict army officers conversely in proportion to their merit. 



COLONEL MILO SMITH. 

TWENTY-SIXTH INFANTRY. 

MiLO Smith was born in "the State of Vermont, about the 
year 1819. At the time of entering the service he was a resi- 
dent of Clinton, Iowa. He was commissioned colonel of the 
26th Iowa, the 10th day of August, 1862; was mustered into 
the United States service on the 30th of the following Septem- 
ber; and served with his regiment in the field until after the 
fall and occupation of Savannah, when he resigned his commis- 
jsion and returned to his home in Clinton. 

I know more of the 26th Iowa than of its colonel. The regi- 

ent, like all the regiments of its old brigade, has a splendid 

record. It was raised in Clinton and adjoining counties, in the 

summer and early fall of 1862, and proceeding to the front 

arrived at Helena, Arkansas, in the latter part of the following , 

October. The first military movements in which it joined 

yere the White River and Tallahatchie marches. It also 

pined General Sherman in his operations against Vicksburg, 

ate in December, 1862, by way of Chickasaw Bayou and the 

iValnut Hills; but in the severe and disastrous fighting which 

)ok place at that point, it took no part, being detached from 

|s brigade, and engaged on pioneer-duty. 

'The regiment's first engagement was Arkansas Post. This 
ittle was not only its first, but, judging from its list of casual- 
2s, the severest one in which it ever took part. Its position 
'I the field wiis exposed, and it was not only subjected to a 
.'vere fire from the enemy's artillery, but to a direct and 
irtially enfilading musketry-fire. The regiment went into 
te engagement with an aggregate, in officers and enlisted men, 

415 



416 IOWA COLONELS AND BEGIMENTS. 

Of four hundred and forty-seven, and lost, in killed and 
wounded, one hundred and nineteen. Two officers were 
killed, and six wounded. The killed were Lieutenants P. L. 
Hyde and J. S. Patterson ; Lieutenant James McDill died of 
his wounds a few days after the engagement. Colonel Milo 
Smith was slightly wounded in the leg. Among the enlisted 
men killed were Corporal Shaffer, Pankow, Delong and J. E. 
Stearns. Lieutenants William R. Ward and Edward Svend- 
sen were wounded. 

The engagement at Arkansas Post took place on the 11th of 
January, 1863; and on the 13th instant the regiment left that 
place on transports for Young's Point, Louisiana. 

General Steele's Division, of General Sherman's Corps, to 
which the 26th Iowa was attached, was the one selected by 
General Sherman to open up a passage through Deer Creek to 
the Yazoo River, and thereby gain the high lands to the rear 
of Haines' Bluff and Vicksburg. 
The following is from General Grant's official report of his 

'* operations against Vicksburg: 

"On the 14th day of March, Admiral D. D. Porter, com- 
manding the Mississippi squadron, informed me that he bad 
made a reconnoissance up Steele's Bayou, and partially through 
Black Bayou, towards Deer Creek; and so far as explored, 
these water-courses were reported navigable for the smaller 
iron-clads. Information, given mostly, I believe, by the 
neo-roes of the country, was to the effect that Deer Creek could 
be navigated to Rolling Fork, and that from there, through 
the Sun-Flower to the Yazoo River, there was no question 
about the navigation. On the following morning, I accompa- 
nied Admiral Porter in the ram Price, several iron-clads pre- 
ceding us, up through Steele's Bayou to near Black Bayou. 
The expedition was promptly dispatched, and as a co-opera- 
ting infantry force, Sherman, with Steel's Division, was sent up 
to Eagle's Bend and marched across the country from that 
point. I need not add the expedition was a failure. 



MILO SMITH. 417 

" All this may have been providential, in driving us ulti- 
mately to a line of operations, which has proven eminently 
successful." And so thought all who accompanied the exijedi- 
tion. 

In this connection, mention should not be omitted of the 
other expedition, to which the one in question was only sup- 
plemental. The Yazoo Pass Expedition had already been 
organized and sent out, and was now blocked by the rebel 
' Fort Pemberton at Greenwood. The junction of the Sun- 
Flower Bayou with the Yazoo River was between Fort Pem- 
j berton and Haines' Bluff; and General Grant hoped to intro- 
' duce a force between that fort and the high grounds above 
Haines' Bluff. Had he succeeded, the rebel works at Green- 
I wood would not only have been rendered untenable and the 
I garrison compelled to fly east to escape Ciipture, but the two 
I Federal forces, united, would have been sufficiently strong to 
possess and defend the desired point. 

The entei'prise was burdened with most annoying and stub- 
born obstacles, to overcome which no man who possessed less 
hope and persistency than Grant would have attempted. But 
Vicksburg would never have been captured from this direc- 
tion, and I doubt whether Grant ever honestly expected it. 
The former of these expeditious was christened by the soldiers 
"the back-water," and the latter, the " Deer Creek raid." 

In the meantime. General Grant, having settled on the plan 
which promised and resulted in success, recalled the detached 
portions of his army, and concentrated it on the west bank of 
the Mississippi, above Vicksburg. The 2Gth Iowa returned 
with its division to Milliken's Bend on the 25th of April, and 
on the 2d of May following marched with Sherman for Grand 
Gulf and Jackson, and thence to the rear of Vicksburg. In 
this march the regiment failed to meet the enemy in a single 
general engagement. It arrived at the Walnut Hills the i8th 

27 



418 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

of May, and all that afternoon skirmished with the enemy, 
they gradually falling back to their strong works encircling the 
city. The heavy skirmishing of the following day the regi- 
ment engaged in, as it also did in the assault which was made 
the same afternoon. Its position before Vicksburg was north 
of the city. It was in Steele's Division, which held the right 
of the besieging line. 

What followed in the long and arduous siege is given else- 
where. But one general assault was made after the 19th 
instant — that of the memorable 22d of May; and in that the 
26th Iowa participated. Up to and including this disastrous 
day, the 26th Iowa lost in its skirmishes and assaults some 
forty in killed and wounded. Colonel Smith and Lieutenants 
Rider, Noble, and Maden were among the wounded. 

After the fall of Vicksburg, the 26th Iowa joined the army 
of General Sherman in the pursuit of Johnson to Jackson, 
where it arrived on the 10th of July. It remained there during 
the eight days' siege, without meeting the enemy. It next 
marched to Brandon; then back to Jackson, and thence to 
Big Black River, where it remained in camp till the 23d of the 
following September, when it left with three divisions of its 
corps to reinforce the Army of the Cumberland, at Chatta- 
nooga. This march was accomplished without any fighting, if 
we except the affairs which General Osterhaus had with the 
enemy at Cherokee Station and beyond that place, in the direc- 
tion of Tuscumbia, Alabama. The 26th Iowa was attached to 
this division, and participated in some of these affairs, but suf- 
fered no loss. In the meantime. General Sherman was 
preparing to cross the Tennessee at Chickasaw Landing ; and 
the object of Osterhaus' advance to Tuscumbia, I do not under- 
stand, unless it was to draw the attention of the enemy from 
Sherman's real purpose, which was to reach Chattanooga by 



MILO SMITH. 419 

way of Florence, Alabama, Fayetteville and Winchester, Ten- 
nessee, and Bridgeport. 

Returning: to Chickasaw, General Osterhaus crossed the river 
with his division, and moved on after the main column; for 
Sherman was already well under way. He did not arrive in 
Lookout Valley until the evening of the 23d of November, and 
was too late to operate with Sherman's forces against the 
northern point of Mission Ridge. He was therefore ordered to 
report to General Hooker; and thus it happened that the 4th, 
9th, 2oth, 26th, 30th and 31st Iowa regiments, all of General 
Osterhaus' Division, engaged the enemy on Lookout Mountain. 
The 26th Iowa fought in the battle of Lookout Mountain in the 
afternoon and night of the 24th of November, after which it 
moved across the valley to engage the enemy on Mission 
Ridge; for the enemy had been routed and Lookout gained by 
our forces early on the morning of the 25th. 

At Mission Ridge the 26th Iowa, and also the 25th, were 
separated from their division, and made a sort of Corps of 
Observation to watch the enemy's cavalry from near Rossville 
Gap. Neither of these regiments were therefore engaged at 
this point. But on the flight of General Bragg the night of 
the 25th instant, the 26th Iowa was near the van in its 
division, which led the advance in the pursuit. Osterhaus 
came up with the enemy at Ringgold as previously stated, and 
at Ringgold the 26th engaged them from behind their works, 
and suffered greater loss than it had done in the whole cam- 
paign before. In the engagement at Lookout Mountain, the 
loss of the regiment was only five wounded, among whom 
was Lieutenant-Colonel Ferreby. At Mission Ridge it was not 
engaged. Its loss at Ringgold on the 27th was three men killed 
— McDonnell, Beddon and Phillips— and nine wounded. 
Among the latter were Captain Steele, and Lieutenants 



420 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

Hubbard and Nickel. Captain Steele, a brave and efficient 
officer, died of his wounds soon after the engagement. 

On the close of the Chattanooga Campaign, the 26th Iowa 
returned with its division to Bridgeport, and in the latter part 
of December was ordered to Woodville, Alabama, on the line 
of the Memphis and Charleston Railroad, where it went into 
Winter quarters. On the opening of the Spring Campaign 
against Atlanta, it marched to the front : since that time its 
services have been nearly the same as those of the other Iowa 
regiments of its division. Moving via Gordon Mills and 
Saake Creek Gap, the regiment came on the enemy at Resaca, 
whe!H3 it first engaged him. It subsequently engaged the 
enen&y at New Hope Church, Big Shanty, Kenesaw Mountain, 
before Atlanta, and at Jonesboro ; but in none of these engage- 
ments was its loss severe. At Big Shanty, it lost one enlisted 
man killed, and one officer and six men wounded. In the 
terrible fight before Atlanta on the 22d of July, the regiment 
lost only five men wounded ; and, at Jonesboro, its loss was 
one officer and four men wounded. 

After joining in the pursuit of Hood in his celebrated flank 
movement northward, the 26th Iowa returned to near Vining 
Station, on the Chattahoochie, where it rested and fitted for 
the march to Savannah. The history of this march, and of 
that from Savannah to Baleigh, will be found in the sketches 
of those ofiicers whose regiments belonged to the loth Corps' 
Iowa Brigade. I have already said that the 26th Iowa was 
attached to this brigade. 

On the arrival of his regiment at Savannah, Colonel Smith 
resigned his commission. 



BRIGADIER-GENERAL J. I. GILBERT. 

COLONEL, TWEXTY-SEVEXTH IXFAXTRY. 

James I. Gilbert is one of Iowa's best ofi&cers. He is a 
native of Kentucky, and was born about the year 1824. At the 
time of entering the service, in the summer of 1862, he was a 
resident of Lansing, Iowa, where he had lived for about ten 
years. In Lansing, he has been commission merchant, dealer 
in general merchandise, produce dealer, and lumber merchant. 
At the time, or just before entering the service, he was the pro- 
prietor of a livery stable, and a dealer in real estate. He was 
commissioned colonel of the 27th Iowa on the 10th day of 
August, 1862, and served without special distinction till he 
joined General A. J. Smith on the Red River Campaign, in 
the spring of 1864. His gallant conduct at Fort De Russy, and 
through the whole campaign, and also before Nashville nearly 
a year later, secured his promotion to a general oflBcer. 

The 27th Iowa, which was rendezvoused in the city of 
Dubuque in the months of August and September, 1862, was 
made up of "the overplus of companies over the 21st regiment 
in the northern part of the State." In the early part of Octo- 
ber, Colonel Gilbert, with six companies of his regiment, was 
assigned as an escort to guard a pay-master and train from Fort 
Snelling to Mille Lacs. The balance of the regiment, under 
Major Howard, remained at the fort. Early in November, 
Colonel Gilbert returned to Fort Snelling, Minnesota, and 
soon proceeded to Memphis, via Cairo, Illinois. Major George 
W. Howard with the balance of the regiment had already 
proceeded to that point. He reached Memphis on the 20th 
of November, and one week later joined Sherman in his 

421 



422 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

march from that place to the Tallahatchie, below Waterford. 
It will be remembered that this movement was made in con- 
junction with that of General Grant through Central Missis- 
sippi, against Vicksburg. The 27th Iowa marched only as far 
south as College Hill, near Oxford. "The regiment was then 
ordered to Waterford, Mississippi, and thence to the Talla- 
hatchie Hiver, where it first commenced its work as railroad- 
guards." 

When Van Dorn attacked and captured Holly Springs, the 
27th Iowa, with other troops, was hurried to that vicinity ; but 
the wily rebel having destroyed the immense Federal sup- 
plies, made his escape. The march was then continued 
northward, for the purpose of meeting and, if possible, of 
capturing Forest, who was at the same time making his raid 
on the Jackson and Columbus Railroad. The 27th arrived at 
Jackson on the 30th of December, and the next day or night, 
Forest's defeat at Parker's Cross Roads and subsequent flight 
having been learned, was marched by a circuitous rout to 
Clifton. The raiders however escaped. It was this raid of 
Forest, it will be remembered, that so frightened General 
Davies at Columbus, and caused him to order the destruction of 
government property at Island No. 10. The march from 
Jackson to Clifton was the first fatiguing one the 27th Iowa had 
yet made. More than one man of the regiment wished that 
night that he had never entered the army. 

From December, 1862, until the following August, the 
regiment served in Southern Tennessee. It was stationed a 
principal portion of the time on the Jackson and Columbus 
Railroad, with head-quarters at Jackson. 

On the abandonment of Jackson and the railroad through 
to Columbus, in the fore part of June, 1863, Colonel Gilbert 
was ordered down to Moscow, where he remained with his 
regiment till the 20th of the following August, guarding the 



JAMES I. GILBERT. 423 

railroad. But after the fall of Vicksburg, and the defeat of 
General Johnson's army at Jackson, Mississippi, the 27th with 
its brigade was ordered to report to General Steele, who was 
then about starting on the Little Rock Campaign. The brig- 
ade, composed of the 49th and 62d Illinois, the 27th Iowa and 
50th Indiana, and commanded by Colonel J. M. True, of the 
62d Illinois, arrived at Helena, after the forces of General Steele 
had left; but immediately starting in pursuit, Colonel True 
succeeded in uniting with Steele in time to enter Little Rock 
with the main army. With the routine of camp-life and 
picket-duty, the months of September and October were passed 
at Little Rock, when, under orders from General Steele, Col- 
onel Gilbert reported back to Memphis in command of his 
own regiment and the 49th Illinois. At Memphis a portion of 
the 27th was assigned to duty at the Navy Yard, and the bal- 
ance put on picket-duty in rear of the city. 

Up to this time, the 27th Iowa, as a regiment, had never 
met the enemy in battle ; but the time was now near at hand 
when it would afford new proof of the intrepidity of Iowa 
soldiers. The regiment left Memphis for Vicksburg on the 
28th of July, 18G4, whence, a week later, it left with General 
Sherman on the celebrated march to Meridian. 

At Memphis and just before leaving for Vicksburg, the 
27th Iowa was brigaded with the 14th and 32d Iowa, and the 
24th Missouri. These troops constituted the 2d Brigade of the 
3d Division, IGtli Army Corps, which afterward, under com- 
mand of Colonel William T. Shaw of the 14th, so distin- 
guished itself in the Red River Expedition of General Banks. 
In the Meridian march, it should be stated that the 27th Iowa 
went some six miles further east than any other troops of 
Sherman's command, and in this advanced position captured 
several prisoners. 

The plan for the Red River Campaign had already been 



424 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

matured, on the return of General Sherman to Vicksburg ; and 
on the evening of the 10th of April, 1864, General A. J. Smith 
left with his expeditionary army for the mouth of Red River, 
where he arrived on the evening following. The fleet of 
Admiral Porter arriving that same evening, the expedition, 
on the morning of the 12th instant, sailed up the river, and in 
the afternoon arrived at Simmsport, where the infantry forces 
disembarked. From this point. General Smith marched with 
his command across the country to the rear of Fort De Russey, 
while Porter, with his gun-boat fleet, proceeded up the river. 
Near Simmsport a small body of the enemy's cavalry made 
their appearance ; but they offered no resistance to the advance; 
and on the evening of the second day the fort was invested. 
Porter in the meantime had come up with his fleet, but for 
some reason took no iJart in the engagement which followed. 
I have been told that it was the crookedness of the river at this 
point, together with certain obstructions, that prevented him 
from operating with the land forces. 

Fort De Russey, a formidable earth-woi'k of the enemj-^ on 
the south-west side of Red River, and some four miles 
above the town of Marksville, was built on a high point of 
land, about one hundred paces back from the river, but con- 
nected with it by rifle-j^its. On the south-west bank of the 
river, was a six-gun water-battery. The Fort proper mounted 
but four guns : two six-pounders commanded the open country 
south-west of the Fort ; and two thirty-two pounders covered 
the Marksville road and the approaches to the south-east. On 
the north-west side of the fort was dense timber and impassa- 
ble swamps. 

On the 14th day of March, the day of the capture of Fort De 
Russey, the 27th Iowa led the advance. Marksville, which is 
some thirty miles distant from Simmsport, was reached at four 
o'clock in the afternoon ; and at this point Colonel Gilbert was 



JAMES I. GILBERT. 425 

ordered to halt his regiment to prevent straggling in the town. 
He was kept in this position till all the troops had passed, and 
until the dispositions for the attack had been nearly completed. 
The 27th as a regiment had not yet been under fire, and, jeal- 
ous of his own reputation and that of his command, Colonel 
Gilbert dispatched his adjutant to Colonel Shaw, with this 
request: "If there is to be any fighting we want to have a 
hand in it." An order was finally returned for him to bring 
his regiment forward ; and he moved up and took position on 
the extreme right of the assaulting forces. Two entire brig- 
ades charged on the fort, and Colonel Shaw's held the right. 
The line of battle was semi-circular, and, on the right, was 
formed in the edge of timber and some two hundred and fifty 
yards distant from the fort. 

In front of the 2d Brigade (Colonel Shaw's) was a ravine, 
running nearly parallel with the enemy's defenses; but, before 
this could be reached, the entire line must pass under a severe 
musketry-fire from the fort and the adjacent rifle-pits. After 
the reconnoissance had been completed, during which time the 
fire from the fort had been responded to by the 3d Indiana 
Battery, a general charge was ordered, when Colonel Gill^ert, 
drawing his sword and stepping to the front of his regiment, 
said : " Boys, come on." '' From that moment," said a mem- 
ber of his regiment to me, " we knew he had the true grit." 
He was one of the first ofiicers, if not the very first, to enter 
the enemy's works. If this was not a sanguinary affair, it 
was a brilliant one, and augured well for the success of the 
future expedition. The number of casualties of the 27th Iowa, 
in this engagement, I have failed to learn. 

It should be borne in mind that General Banks had not yet 
come up from Franklin, Louisiana ; nor did he come up till a 
week after the capture of Alexandria; so that the credit 



426 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

incideut to the capture of Fort De Russey belongs sole'y to 
General Smith and the troops of his command. On the 
morning of the loth instant, the 3d Division, having re-em- 
barked on the fleet, moved up to Alexandria, and that same 
evening the place was entered without opposition. Here 
General Smith remained till the arrival of General Banks 
with his command, consisting of portions of the 13th and 
19th Army Corps. 

From this point, General Banks marched through the coun- 
try via Natchitoches to Grand Ecore ; but Smith, moving up to 
the head of the rapids, above Alexandria, re-embarked and 
sailed up the river, arriving at Grand Ecore at about the same 
time as did General Banks. On the 5th of April, General 
Banks marched for Shreveport by way of the Mansfield road, 
and two days later was followed by the command of General 
Smith ; but the advance was soon to be turned into a retreat ; 
and neither the forces of Banks nor Smith were destined to see 
even Mansfield. No considerable resistance was made to the 
advance till near Natchitoches, and, to beat this back, no troops 
were required but the cavalry; but beyond Pleasant Hill, 
and about thirty miles distant from Natchitoches, the enemy 
showed so much resistance that it became necessary to send 
forward a brigade of infantry. 

The battle of Mansfield, or Sabine Cross Roads was fought 
on the afternoon of the 8th of April, 1864, and that of Pleasant 
Hill on the morning and evening of the 9th. The last was the 
one in which the 1 1th, 27th and 32d Iowa regiments so distin- 
guished themselves. These troops, together with the 24th 
Missouri, I believe impartial history will say, saved the 
army of General Banks from disorganization and capture ; for 
they were the only troops that maintained their position 
throughout that terrible day— I mean, of course, of those 



JAMES I. GILBERT. 427 

whose position was in tlie front. If this be not so, how was it 
that their losses, in killed, wounded and missing, numbered 
nearly, if not quite two-thirds of the casualties in Banks' 
entire army? The position held by the 27th in this engage- 
ment was the left centre of its brigade. On its right was the 
14th Iowa, and on its left the 32d. Its right rested near the 
Pleasant Hill and Mansfield road. 

The conduct of Colonel Gilbert in this engagement, as at Fort 
De Russey, was gallant in the extreme. Through the anxious 
hours that intervened between the first attack in the morning 
and the final fierce assaults of the enemy in the afternoon, he 
was never idle, but talked with and cheered his men. Skir- 
mishing all this time was going on ; and every moment closed 
with the assurance that the next would open the fierce encoun- 
ter. When the conflict finally did open, he stood firm and 
confident, using, when occasion offered and his duties would 
permit, a musket against the advancing enemy. Indeed, the 
colonel was wounded in this engagement, while in the act of 
shooting a rebel officer. Many brave officers and men of the 
27th Iowa were left among the killed and wounded: their 
names I have failed to learn. One I know — Sergeant George 
W. Griswold, a brave and faithful soldier. He was wounded 
severely in the face, and left in hospital within the enemy's 
lines. 

A history of Banks' Expedition after his unplucked victory 
at Pleasant Hill will be found elsewhere. In the fatiguing and 
harassing retreat to Simmsport, Smith's Division covered the 
rear of Banks' army. 

Subsequently to the Red River Campaign, there has been 
little rest for the 27th Iowa Infantry. It joined its division in 
driving Price from Missouri ; was with A. J. Smith at Nash- 
ville, and fought in those terrible battles that closed only with 



428 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

the destruction of General Hood's army ; and, lastly, was with 
its old white-headed general before Blakely, where it led a por- 
tion of the charging column that carried so brilliantly the 
strong-hold. Now it has marched with its division into the 
interior of Alabama ; but it will probably see no more fighting. 

After the battle of Nashville, Colonel Gilbert was made a 
brigadier-general. Since that time, he has been in command 
of a brigade. He is one of the most popular oflicers in his 
division. 

Colonel Gilbert is six feet and one inch in hight, and has a 
broad chest, and an erect and tapering form. His hair, eyes 
and complexion are dark. He has a heavy voice, and is an 
energetic talker. At home and among his acquaintances, he is 
"noted for his love of a fine horse and riding out-fit. He thinks 
much of style in appearance." 

He is quick and active in his motions, and, in civil life, was 
accustomed to decide the most important business transactions 
in a moment. His opinions, of which he is very positive, he 
is always ready to back with a bet; and his losses, of which he 
rarely' has any, he pays promptly. As a business man, he was 
not considered very fortunate, though he was never placed in a 
position which prevented him irom paying all legal demands 
against him. Like several other Iowa officers, he is better 
adapted to the profession of arms than to any other calling. I 
should not omit to state that, of the Iowa generals. General 
Gilbert is the finest equestrian the State can boast, not even 
excepting General Frederick Steele. 



COLONEL WILLLOI E. MILLER. 

FIRST COLOXEL, TWEXTY-EIGIITH INFANTRY. 

William: E. Miller, the original colonel of the 28th Iowa 
Infantry, is a Pennsylvanian by birth, and was born in the 
year 1823. At the time of entering the service, he was a resi- 
dent of Iowa Citj% and a practicing law^-er. He was at one 
jtime a district judge. Mr. Miller entered the service as colonel 
'of the 28th Iowa Infantry, and was commissioned, as such, on 
the 10th of August, 1862. The date of his muster into the 
United States service was just two months later. 

The 28th Iowa Infantry was enlisted in the counties of Ben- 
ton, Tama, Jasper, Powesheik, Iowa and Johnson, and was 
rendezvoused at Iowa City. The history of this regiment and 
of the 24th Iowa Infantry are nearly identical. The 28th left 
jits rendezvous for the front, on the 1st day of November, 1862, 
iand, going to Helena, Arkansas, was there brigaded with the 
|24th Iowa ; and from that time to the present these regiments 
ihave served in the same brigade. The first march of the 28th 
jlowa was that made to Oakhind, Mississippi ; after which it 
pined the White River Expedition, under Brigadier-General 
Gorman. General Gorman left Helena with his command for 
the mouth of White River about the 6th of January, 1863 ; and 
sailing up that stream until arriving near St. Charles, disem- 
barked his command. St. Charles, a little village on the south 
bank of White River, and resting on its steep, high bluffs, was 
supposed to be held by the enemy in force; for strong works 
[Surrounding the place were visible. On sending forward skir- 
mishers, however, it was found to be unoccupied and was 
entered without opposition. 

429 



430 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

The next morning General Gorman moved up the river to 
Duvall's Bluff, preceded by the gun-boats. This place, too, 
the enemy were making haste to abandon. The greater part 
of the stores had already been sent west, over the Little Rock 
road, and the last train was in waiting to remove the siege- 
guns and small artillery. One large siege-gun was loaded, and 
another was raised on skids for the same purpose. But on the 
approach of the gun-boats, which opened vigorously upon the 
place, the enemy fled, having offered but slight resistance. 
Five or six pieces of artillery were captured, besides some two 
hundred and fifty stand of small arms. If the object of the 
White River Exi^edition was the capture of Duvall's Bluff 
and nothing more, I do not know it. I believe the object was 
the capture of Little Bock; for it will be remembered that 
Mc' demand's expedition up the Arkansas River to Arkansas 
Post was made at just about this time. After the capture of 
Arkansas Post, IMcClernand went no further, and Gorman, 
accordingly, turned back to Helena. 

If on this expedition Colonel Miller and his regiment won 
little distinction, it was because no occasion offered. One 
thing is certain that, the hardships and exposures attending 
the movement were hardly ever equalled. The weather w^as 
cold ; and it rained and snowed, by turns, almost incessantly. 
Scores contracted diseases on the White River Expedition, 
which totally disabled them for service. 

The 28th Iowa, as a regiment, met the enemy for the first 
time on the final Vicksburg Campaign. On this march it was 
attaclied to the corps of General McClernand, which led the 
van of General Grant's army. Previous to the 29th of March, 
1863, the day on which General McClernand began his march 
through the country from Milliken's Bend to New Carthage, 
General Grant had tried five distinct plans to gain a footing on 



WILLIAM E. MILLER. 431 

the hills in rear of Vicksburg. lie had Q\en x)ermitted a sixth 
plan to be tried; but this last one was at the suggestion of 
Admiral David D. Porter, who, with a portion of his Missis- 
sippi squadron, had discovered "a new route." This expe- 
dition has already been spoken of. It should be known in 
history as the Steele's-Bayou-Black-Bayou-Deer-Creek-Rolling 
Fork-Sun-Flower- Yazoo-River Expedition : indeed, even this 
prodigiously significant name does not begin to suggest the 
obstacles that must have been overcome to make it successful. 
The soldiers of Steele's Division christened it " The Deer Creek 
raid." 

The march across the neck of land, which is embraced in the 
great bend of the Mississippi, and which lies just opposite 
Vicksburg, was thirty-five miles in length, and was attended 
with great hardships ; for the weather was cold and stormy, 
and the roads so muddy as to make the transportation of large 
army supplies over them almost impossible. And it must be 
remembered too, that, at that time, the plan of running the 
Vicksburg Batteries had not been proven feasible ; for the Sil- 
ver Wave, the Forest Queen, and the Henry Clay, under the 
escort of Porter's fleet, did not run their celebrated gauntlet, 
until the night of the 6th of April. But, as General Grant 
said, the only way to reduce Vicksburg was to approach it from 
the south side, and he accordingly played this bold hand. All 
other plans tried had proved impracticable. 

On arriving near New Carthage, General McClernand found 
the levee of Bayou Vidal broken, and the country flooded. 
New Carthage was an island, and could only be reached in 
skiffs and flat-boats, such as could be found in the neighbor- 
hood; and this proving too great a task, the march was con- 
tinued to Perkin's plantation, twelve miles lower down the 
river. The country and the scenery at Perkin's plantation 
were magnificent; but the owner. Judge Perkins, a bitter rebel 



432 IOWA COLOXELS AND REGIMENTS. 

and Confederate State Senator, had burnt his splendid mansion 
to the ground, declaring that the foot of no Yankee soldier 
should ever cross its threshold. It was said that he burned it 
just after the fall of Island No. 10, declaring that, if the Union 
troops could capture that i)lace, they could capture every thing; 
and this may have been so, for rank weeds were growing 
among the ruins, and the shrubbery, and winding and shaded 
avenues, had the appearance of having been long deserted. I 
mention these things because they formed a theme of great 
interest among the soldiers, as they dragged themselves along 
on the weary march. 

In the meantime, Admiral Porter, having run the Vicks- 
burg Batteries, arrived in the river opposite Perkins' planta- 
tion. Here a portion of McClernand's command having 
embarked moved down to Hard Times Landing, which lies 
a little above Grand Gulf, and on the opposite side of the 
river. The balance of the command moved round to the same 
point by land. The object now was to capture Grand Gulf, 
and move round to tlie rear of Vicksburg from that point. 
Admiral Porter declared the plan feasible, and at once set 
about the reduction of the rebel works ; but they would not 
reduce: the position was impregnable; for, during more than 
five hours of most vigorous cannonading, not a gun of the 
enemy was silenced. This happened on the morning of the 
29th of April, and on the afternoon of that same day the gun- 
boat fleet and the transports prepared to run the Grand Gulf 
Batteries, while the troops took up their line of march to a 
point down tlie river, and opposite Bruinsburg, Mississippi. 
The fleet arrived in safety ; and on the following morning the 
13th Army Corps, as is well known, effected a landing on the 
east side of the Mississippi Biver. 

That same afternoon, the 30th of April, CJcneral McClernand 
marched for Port Gibson; and that same night, at about eleven 



WILLIAM E. MILLER. 433 

o'clock, encountered the enemy's pickets. He continued to 
push on, and two hours later arrived at Thompson's Hill, 
where, when the head of the column was resting in the road, 
it received a heavy volley of musketry. The enemy also 
opened with his artillery ; and for a few moments all was con- 
fusion ; but it soon appeared that his only object was to check 
the advance, and quiet was restored. In this connection, it is 
but just that I should pay a merited compliment to the skill 
and bravery of Captain H. H. Griffiths, of the 1st Iowa Bat- 
tery. When the firing commenced, he was far to the rear; 
but, being impressed with the notion that he was wanted at 
the front, he moved hastily forward through the opened ranks 
of the infantry, and reported to General Carr, whose division 
was in the van. "Did you send for me, general?" he said. 
"No"; and at that very instant a shell came screaming down 
the narrow, excavated road, and burst just to their right. 
"Tear down the fence," said Captain Griffiths to his men ; and 
in less time than is required to tell it, he had run his guns over 
the embankment, unlimbered them, and was playing upon the 
enemy. Twice he silenced the enemy's batteries, and com- 
pelled them to change position. The fighting in the darkness 
now closed ; and in the morning. General Carr sent his com- 
pliments to Captain Grifiiths, whose guns had burst the first 
j shell on the south side of Vicksburg. 

I The 28th Iowa, which was attached to the division of General 

Hovey, did not cross the Mississippi till evening, when, hav- 

j ing drawn three days' rations, it started for the front. At one 

I o'clock in the morning, and just after it had ascended the hills 

that lie some four miles back from the river, it heard the 

I booming of artillery. The regiment pushed on through the 

i darkness, and at sun-rise arrived at the foot of Thompson's 

Hill, where, having eaten a hasty breakfast, it prepared for 



434 IOWA COLONELS AXD REGIMENTS. 

battle. Its first position was on the crest of Tlioinpson's Hill, 
where all but three companies lay under fire for an hour. In 
the meantime Companies B, G and K joined the 34th Indiana 
in charging a rebel battery, which, I may add, was captured, 
with nearly three hundred prisoners. But the enemy had now 
massed their forces heavily on our left, with the hope of forcing 
it and gaining our rear. The 28th Iowa was therefore ordered 
to this point, where it engaged the enemy till he fled from the 
field. "While in thi.s position, the regiment was opposed to the 
2d and the oth Missouri (rebel) Infantry. It was now nearly 
dark, and the 28th Iowa, which had been sejiarated from its 
brigade the greater part of the day, was ordered by Geuen;l 
Stevens to re-join it; and that night it encamped on the bloody 
battle-field of Thompson's Hill, or Port Gibson. The Ciisual- 
ties of the regiment in this engagement were not great: only 
one man was killed — Jacob Souervine — and sixteen wounded. 

In the battle of Champion's Hill, the 2Sth Iowa distin- 
guished itself, and suil'ered severely. The part taken by il 
regiment in this engagement is thus given by C'liai)lain J. i . 
Simmons : 

"At 11 A. M. our command was ordered forward, and in a 
short time the whole line of our division had engaged the 
enemy. IMoving steaclily forward, we were thrown acrons a 
deep ravine, densely set witli timber and underbrush, whieh 
rendi'red our advance difiicult. On reaching the top of the hill 
we were fully under the lire of the enemy, yet continued to 
advance, driving him from his ])osition. Tlie work of death 
liad now fairly begun, and our brave nun falling in numbers 
from till' ranks, dead or wounded, told too plaiidy the terrible 
earnestni'ss of the engagement. Attendants began to gather 
the fallen, surgeons to dress their wounds, am])ulances to con- 
voy them to the rear; and all the machinery of a dreadful 
confliet was in motion. The regiment with the whole division 
contiiMied to i>ress tlie enemy back over an open field for nearly 
one mile. During all this time the lighting had b(HMJ most 
fearful. Here the enemv massed liis forces in front of our 






WILLIAM E. MILLER. 435 

single line of battle, already weakened by the loss of hundreds, 
and at the same time a move was made to turn our left flank. 
This compelled us to fall back, which was done in good order. 
Outnumbered, pressed, and overwhelmed, our men were still 
driven back, until we had lost a large i^ortion of the ground 
that had been gained, when General Quimby sent to our relief 
a portion of his command, commanded by General Crocker, 
among which were the 10th, 17th and 5th Iowa. These troops 
charging through our shattered lines, came nobly to the rescue. 
Here a most terrible struggle ensued, when the enemy in turn 
gave way; and our men, now flushed with victory, rapidly 
pressed them back again over the ground already twice fought 
for. So hotly was he pressed, that the enemy could not avoid 
confusion ; his lines wavered and broke, and his rout became 
complete, leaving his dead, wounded, and many prisoners, in 
our hands." 

The 28th held the left of its division which extended to the 
Raymond road ; and, in endeavoring to resist the flank move- 
ment of the enemy, was subjected to a most terrible enfilading 
fire of musketry. Four companies came out of the fight 
without a commissioned oificer; and the total, in killed and 
wounded of the regiment, was an even one hundred. " Lieut- 
enant John J. Legan, of Company A, and Captain Benjamin P. 
Kirby, of Company I, were killed ; and Lieutenant John 
Buchanan received a severe wound of which he died." Twenty 
enlisted men were killed. 

After the battle of Champion's Hill, the 28th Iowa followed 
the en^my as far east as Edward's Station, and there rested till 
the 20th instant. It was then ordered to the Big Black, where 
it remained till the 24th, and then re-joined its division in rear 

of Vicksburg, 

At the time of entering the service. Colonel Miller was afllic- 
ted with a troublesome disease which the exposures and 
hardships of the field so aggravated as to compel him to 
resign his commission. He left his regiment just before it 
naarched on the Vicksburg Campaign. 



436 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

In personal appearance Colonel Miller is prepossessing. He 
is heavy set, with broad, square shoulders, and is about five 
feet, eight inches in hight. His hair and eyes are both dark, 
and the expression of his countenance is frank and manly. 
He has a heavy, firm voice, and possesses good taste as a mili- 
tary man. He was a good disciplinarian, and was regarded by 
his regiment as a good and brave soldier. Had he retained his 
health, he would doubtless have made a fine record. 

It was with the greatest reluctance that Colonel Miller left 
the service: indeed, he delayed sending in his resignation, 
until many thought he could not live to reach his home ; and, 
after arriving in Iowa City, but few of his neighbors expected 
him to recover. 



COLONEL JOHN CONNELL. 

SECOND COLONEL, TWENTY-EIGHTH INFANTRY. 

John Connell is a Scotchman by birth. Scotland has two 
sons, who have been honored with colonel's commissions from 
Iowa— Geddes and Connell. 

John Connell was born the 16th day of March, 1824, in Pais- 
ley, Scotland; and emigrated to the United States in the year . 
1831. He settled, with his parents, in Norwich, Connecticut, 
where he received a common school education, and where he 
continued- to live till the year 1852, when he came West, and 
settled in Tama county, Iowa. He was one of the first settlers 
in that county, and assisted in its organization. His first resi- 
dence was in the village of Buckingham; but, in 1855, he 
removed to Toledo. He was a farmer in Buckingham, and, in 
Toledo, a merchant and trader in lands. He was once in the 
Iowa Legislature. The Whigs of his county elected him in 
1854; but, on reporting at Iowa City, he found the Whig Party 
dead, and joined hands with the Republicans. He came to 
Iowa poor, and has now a respectable property. 

Mr. Connell was commissioned lieutenant-colonel of the 28th 
Iowa Infantry on the 16th day of September, 1862; and, on 
the 14th of the following March, was promoted to the full col- 
onelcy of his regiment. 

During the colonelcy of Mr. Connell, the most interesting 
portion of his regiment's record is to be found in the history of 
General Banks' march up the Red River, in the spring of 1864, 
and in the brilliant operations of General Sheridan in the 
Shenandoah Valley, in the following Fall. But from the 
time General McClernand commenced his march across the 

437 



438 IOWA COLOXELS AND EEGIMEXTS. 

peninsula west of Vicksburg, to New Carthage and Perkin's 
plantation, up to the date of the battle of Pleasant Hill, Louis- 
iana, where he was wounded, Colonel Connell was in command 
of his regiment. He led it in the battles of Port Gibson, 
Champion's Hill, and against the rebel works at Vicksburg. 

On the 1st of August, 18G3, after returning from Jackson, 
(for the 28th Iowa joined General Sherman on that march) 
Colonel Connell left with his regiment on board transports, for 
Natchez, where he arrived on the 3d instant. The next day, 
he marched out to Second Bayou, seven miles from the city, 
and assisted in the construction of cotton fortifications. But 
there seemed to be no rest for the regiment ; for, on the 12th 
instant, it was again ordered on board boats and dispatched to 
Carrollton, Louisiana. During the balance of the Summer, and 
through the following Fall, the regiment served in Louisiana ; 
but a history of its movements during this time has been 
already given, and need not be repeated. 

The 28th Iowa passed Christmas at Algiers, opposite New 
Orleans, and moved up to INIadisonville, on the northern shore 
of Lake Pontcliartrain, early in February, 1864. There it 
remained till it joined General Banks in his Red Bivcr Cam- 
paign. 

The command of General Banks in the Red River Expedi- 
tion, consisting of detachments of the 13th and 19th Army 
Corps, was rendezvoused at Berwick Bay early in March, 18G4. 
These troops were under the immediate command of General 
Franklin, General Banks being commander-in-chief. Only 
the 3d and Ith Divisions of the 13tli Army Corps wore present, 
tlie 3d being coniinandud by (Jeneral Cameron, an Indiana 
man, and the Ith by General Ransom, later, the hero of Sabine 
Cross Roads. The 2.sth Iowa was attached to the 3d Division ; 
and, witli the 2ilii Iowa, the ITlli Indiana and r.dtji Ohio regi- 
ments, constituted the Brigade. CJeneral I'ranklin Wl'l ncrwick 



JOHN CONNELL. 439 

Bay for Alexandria, where a junction was to be formed with 
the command of General A. J. Smith of the 16th Army Corps, 
on the 13th of March, only two days before General Smith had 
occupied that place. His course lay nearly due north ; and, for 
a long distance, was the same as that traveled by General 
Banks in gaining the rear of Port Hudson. Passing through 
New Iberia, Vermillionville, Opelousas and Washington, he 
reached Alexandria on Saturday evening, the 26th instant. In 
the march through the country to Alexandria, no opposition 
was met : only a few rebel cavalry vedettes were seen. General 
Banks, having in the meantime come up by boat from New 
Orleans, and every thing being in readiness for an advance, the 
13th and 19th Corps broke camp and marched in the direction 
of 'Natchitoches. General Smith, moving with his command 
to the head of the rai^ids above Alexandria, proceeded up the 
river on transports. 

The spirits of General Franklin's troops were buoyant, and 
the magnificent country through which they were passing 
made the march for them a mere pastime. It was holiday 
sport, but was soon to be changed for serious work. For a 
further account of this march, and of the part taken by the 28th 
Iowa in the battle of Sabine Cross Roads, I refer to the state- 
ment of Captain J. T. Simmons, chaplain of the regiment. 
His account differs in some respects from what I have been 
informed were the facts ; but he was on the ground, and has 
doubtless told the truth. 

"We reached Alexandria on Saturday, and stayed over Sun- 
day, * * On Monday morning our division, taking the lead, 
moved forward and reached Natchitoches, a distance of eighty- 
five miles, in three days and a half. When within twenty- 
three miles of that place, we received intelligence that the 
enemy were pressing General Lee's cavalry, and a forced 
march was begun. Our regiment was in front, and we reached 
the place in six hours. * * On the 6th of April we ag^n 



440 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

started, and on the 7th received orders to hurry up to the 
assistance of General Lee, and after a rapid march reached 
Pleasant Hill. 

"Pausing a few moments, we were ordered to fall in, and 
were sent out one mile to support the cavalry, but after an 
hour's waiting returned again to camp. On the morning of 
the 8th, our division moved forward to support General Lee; 
and one brigade of the 4th Division then engaged the enemy. 
Reaching Ten-Mile Creek, we halted in line of battle. At 2 P. 
M., we moved forward to Moss' Lane, and went into the action 
near Mansfield." 

The country between Pleasant Hill and Mansfield, Louisi- 
ana, is hilly, and for the most part, covered with heavy timber: 
the road connecting these two places is narrow and difficult. 
More especially is this the case just east of where the enemy 
were first met. In this road and near the front was a portion 
of General Banks' train, including his head-quarter wagons. 
General Ransom led the advance on the morning of the 8th 
instant and was the first to engage the enemy. They were met 
in heavy force, when, after a desperate struggle the 4th 
Division was completely routed. Word came back that the 
division was all cut to pieces, and that the 3d Division which 
was at Ten-Mile Creek must hurry to the front. These troops 
accordingly started at double-quick, but hardly had the column 
got in motion before stragglers were met. A little further on, 
the wagon-train was encountered which completely blocked 
the narrow road, but in such an emergency this was no 
obstacle, for the troops swinging into the timber by the sides of 
the road hurried on. The scene of confusion was now reached. 
Here were met the shattered and bleeding battalions of the 
poor 4th Division, hurrying in rapid flight from the field. 
Terror stared from the faces of all : many were wounded and 
covered with blood, and all had the same alarming story : 
" We are all cut to pieces ! We are all cut to pieces ! ! " 



JOHN CORNELL. 441 

The 2d Brigade now came to where there was a clearing on 
the left of the road, and timber on the right, and here was 
formed the new line of battle. The position of the 28th Iowa 
was in the edge of the timber, with the clearing and a ravine 
in front. To its left were four companies of the 24th Iowa. 
This position was gallantly held till out-flanked, when, falling 
back, the 2d Brigade again formed line, some three-quarters of 
a mile to the rear; and this line was held till sun-down. In 
the meantime, the 19th Corps had come up, which, coming 
into line, checked the further advance of the enemy. That 
night a retreat was ordered ; and, on the afternoon of the next 
day, was fought the battle of Pleasant Hill. 

"With no desire to disparage the conduct of other troops 
engaged at Sabine Cross Roads, I must, in justice, state that 
the 28th Iowa and the detachment of the 24th, which was 
present, were the last troops of their division to leave the 
second line. Nor, when they retired, did they do so in confu- 
sion, but fought along down the road from wagon to wagon, 
and held back the rebel centre, so as to enable the wagon-masters 
to save a portion of the train, 

j Colonel Connell was wounded in this engagement and lost 
j his left arm, and the circumstances under which it happened 
are as follows : While he was falling back with his regiment 
1 they came to a battery, blocked up in the road, and stopping 
they tried to extricate it, but the enemy pressed them so closely 
that nearly all the men retired, leaving the colonel still at 
work. He did not observe his men when they left, but look- 
ing up the instant after saw them retiring and prepared to 
follow. Before starting he turned round and stooping looked 
through the brush to see how near the enemy had approached : 
that instant a shot struck him. As he stooped, his left hand 
was resting on his hip which threw his elbow up. The ball 



442 IOWA COLONELS AND BEGIMENTS. 

struck him above the elbow and passed down through the 
joint, fracturing it severely. He then tried to run but became 
so faint he was obliged to rest, when the enemy coming up 
captured him. He was retained a prisoner till the following 
June, when he was paroled and sent within our lines. He 
re-joined his regiment at Carrollton, Louisiana, and his reception 
is thus recorded : — " The colonel stepped from the cars, while 
an armless sleeve hanging from his left shoulder but too plainly 
suggested the past. He was introduced to the regiment by 
Major Meyer, and was received by the regiment with an 
expression of that unmistakable affection and enthusiasm with 
which soldiers always regard a true man." 

The loss of the 28th Iowa at the battle of Sabine Cross Boads 
was about eighty in killed, wounded and missing. Among 
the wounded were Adjutant J. G. Strong and Lieutenants 
Weaver and Dorrance. Lieutenant Hughes, regimental quar- 
ter-master, was captured. 

In the battle of Pleasant Hill, the 28th took little part, the 
19th Corps, and the command of General Smith doing the chief 
fighting— I should say, the brigade of Colonel Shaw, of the 
14th Iowa, doing the chief fighting; for such is the fact. The 
long and perilous retreat which followed the last named battle 
is replete with incidents which of themselves would make a 
large and interesting volume. General Banks' army reached 
Alexandria in the latter part of April, where it remained till 
the 13th of May following, and then continued the march to 
Simmsport and Morganzia Bend. 

Subsequently to the Red River Campaign, the chief portion 
of the history of the 28th Iowa has been made in the valley of 
the Shenandoah, and in the Southern Atlantic States. It is 
the same as are those of the 22d and 24th Iowa, and will be 
found in connection with the histories of those regiments. 



JOHN CONNELL. 443 

I should not close, however, without saying that the regi- 
ment sustained its good name in the Valley of the Shenandoah. 
There it met the enemy in the three memorable engagements 
of Winchester or Opequan, Fisher's Hill, and Cedar Creek. 
Each of these battle-fields drunk its blood, and each are dotted 
with its graves. I give below the official report of Lieutenant- 
Colonel B. W. Wilson, concerning the part taken by his regi- 
ment in the battle at Fisher's Hill ; for a full account of this 
affair has not been previously given. 

"Heap-quarters Twenty-Eighth Iowa, in the Field, 
"Near Harrisonburg, Va., September 27th, 1864. 

"Colonel— /S'/r.- In compliance with your request, I submit 
the following report of the part taken by my command in the 
battle of Fisher's Hill, on the 22d day of September, 1864. On 
the morning of the 22d we moved forward toward the enemy a 
short distance, who were strongly intrenched at Fisher's Hill, 
a naturally strong position, a short distance above Strasburg. 
We got into position, and were ordered to intrench. We had 
scarcely commenced work, when I received orders to report 
with my regiment to General Grover for a special duty. On 
reporting, I was ordered to the front line; a commanding 
position, from which the enemy's sharp-shooters had just been 
driven. As a battery immediately preceded me, I supposed 
that I was there as its support, and soon had constructed a sort 
of intrenchment as protection against the enemy's sharp-shoot- 
ers. Here I remained until about 4 P. M., when I received 
orders from General Grover to deploy as skirmishers on the 
right of the 22d Iowa, as far as practicable toward the 
intrenched position of the enemy. We advanced toward their 
works, to within about three hundred yards, pouring in volley 
after volley with great rapidity. The enemy seemed to Avaver, 
whereupon I ordered a charge. With a prolonged shout, we 
went after them, scaling their works and driving them in con- 
fusion before us, capturing a six-gun battery, a large quantity 
of ammunition, and a number of prisoners. After following 
them about a mile, I received orders to return for the knap- 
sacks of my regiment, which had been left when the charge 
began. I have no fault to find with either officers or men. All 
deserve praise. Not one flinched, or fled, when it seemed we 



444 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

were charging right into the very jaws of death. My loss wafi 
exceedingly light, being only ten men wounded." 

At the battle of Winchester the loss of the regiment waa 
eighty-seven; at Fisher's Hill, ten,- and at Cedar Creek more 
than ninety. Captains Palmer, Houseworth and Riemen- 
schnieder were among the killed in these engagements; and 
among the wounded were Lieutenant-Colonel Wilson, Captain 
Carr, and Lieutenants Strong, Dean, Summers and Hanerly. 
The enlisted men who fell are equally deserving of mention, 
but want of space forbids me giving their names. 

In appearance, Colonel Connell is intelligent and unassuming, 
and his countenance wears a frank and modest expression 
which makes one like him. He has a good form, sandy hair, 
and a florid complexion, and, I may add, just the sort of tem- 
perament to meet a rebel. Indeed, our red-headed men, 
throughout the war, have been the most successful soldiers. 

Colonel Connell never commanded his regiment after he lost 
his arm in Louisiana. Since that time it has been commanded 
by Lieutenant-Colonel B. W. Wilson and Major John Meyer, 
both, I am told, fine officers. 



BREVET BRIGADIER-GENERAL T. H. BENTON. 

COLONEL, TWENTY-NINTH INFANTRY. 

Thomas Haet Benton, Jr., is a nephew of the celebrated 
American statesman and author, whose name, at his uncle's 
own request, he bears. He is a native of Tennessee, and was 
born in Williamson county of that State, on the 5th day of 
September, 1816. His father, Samuel Benton, was quite a 
noted man^ In 1817, the year after his son Thomas' birth, he 
left Tennessee for Missouri ; and settled in St. Louis. In 1822, 
he returned to Tennessee, and settled in Shelby county, near 
the present city of Memphis, which was then a mere village. 
In 1835, he left the States, and emigrated to Texas, which was 
at that time an independent Republic. During his residence 
there, he served one term in the Texan Congress. He died in 
1846. Young Benton accompanied his father in all his migra- 
tions. 

Colonel Benton's education is academic, and was acquired 
at the Huntington Academy, Tennessee. His collegiate course 
was brief: he passed only a portion of the year 1835 at Marion 
College, Missouri. In 1839, he came to Iowa, and located in 
Dubuque, where he lived till 1854. During his residence in 
Dubuque, he was first teacher, and then merchant. In 1846, 
he went to the State Senate from the Dubuque District, and 
served in Iowa's first General Assembly. He was elected, in 
1848, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, and, at the 
close of his three-years' term, was re-elected for a like term. 
The nomination for the same position was again tendered him ; 
but he declined it, and the same year removed to Council 
Bluffs, his present home. 

445 



446 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

It would seem that Iowa had but oue scholar ; for, in 1858, 
Ck)lonel Benton was elected Secretary of the Board of Educa- 
tion, under the new State Constitution. This oiflce he held for 
the two subsequent terms, and was its incumbent at the time 
of entering the service. On the 10th of August, 1862, he was 
commissioned colonel of the 29th Iowa Infantry ; and, on the 
1st of the following December, mustered into the United States 
service. For gallant conduct in the different campaigns in 
which he joined in Arkansas, Colonel Benton, in the spring of 
1865, was made brevet brigadier-general. 

The history of the 29th is nearly the same as are those of the 
33d and 36th Iowa regiments. In the latter part of December, 
when the enemy were threatening Columbus and other points 
on the Mississippi, Colonel Benton was ordered with his 
regiment from Benton Barracks to Columbus. No attack was 
made, and in a few days he sailed down the river to Helena, 
Arkansas. In January, 1863, he accompanied General Gorman 
on the AVhite Biver Expedition — one in which the troops 
were subjected to great fatigue and exposures, but which, it is 
said, was fruitless, on account of the non-co-operation of the 
fleet. After his return from this expedition, he remained at 
Helena till the latter part of February, when he joined the 
Yazoo Pass Expedition, under General Ross. In the early 
part of April, General Boss, under orders from General Grant, 
returned with his command to Helena, where Colonel Benton 
remained with his regiment during the following Summer, 
and took part in the brilliant engagement of the 4tli of July. 
This was a contest for the great gala day of the nation, and 
will ever have a prominent place in the history of our civil 
war. The following extract I take from Colonel Benton's 
oflacial report : 

"My men were under a severe fire for more than five hours, 
and it affords me the greatest pleasure to speak of both oflicers 



THOMAS H. BEXTOX. 447 

and men in terms of the highest commendation, for their cool- 
ness and courage during the entire action. I saw no flinching 
or wavering during tlie day. It is proper to add that several 
of my officers and men, who were excused from duty in conse- 
quence of physical disability, left their quarters and joined 
their respective companies, when the signal gun was fired. 

"I would not do justice to an accomplished officer, should I 
fail to acknowledge the efficient services of Lieutenant-Colonel 
R. F. Patterson, during the action; and the special obligations 
I am under for the thorough instruction previously given by 
him to both officers and men, in the responsible duties and 
obligations of the soldier." 

The loss of the 29th Iowa at Helena was seven killed and 
twenty-four wounded. Two of the latter were hurt mortally, 
and died soon after. 

Early in August, 1863, the 29th Iowa joined the Arkansas or 
Little Rock Expedition, under General Steele, and was present 
at the capture of Little Rock. On the Little Rock march. 
Colonel Benton was in command of a brigade, composed of the 
29th and 33d Iowa and the 28th Wisconsin regiments. 

After passing the fall of 1863 and the following Winter, at 
Little Rock, the 29th Iowa, under its colonel, joined General 
Steele on the Camden march, and on this campaign saw its 
hardest service, and made the most interesting portion of its 
history. The object of the campaign has been already given. 
Had it been successful, it would have relieved the entire State 
of Arkansas from Confederate rule. In the expedition, the 
29th Iowa marched two hundred and fifty miles, and lost in 
action one hundred and forty-two officers and men. 

General Steele left Little Rock on this celebrated march on 
the 23d of March, 1864. General Banks in his course up the 
Red River was already approaching Natchitoches. The des- 
tination of both armies was Shreveport. Passing through 
Benton, Rockport, and Arkadelphia on the Washita River, 
and thence south-west across the Little Missouri, Steele arrived 



448 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

on the 10th of the following April, at Prairie de Anne — one of 
the prettiest little spots in wild Arliansas, or the whole "Sunny 
South." At Prairie de Anne, as already stated, he learned the 
probable fate of his expedition. There he learned of Banks' 
defeat ; and, with Banks defeated and driven back, he, with his 
small army, could not hope for success, against the combined 
rebel forces. General Steele then pushed for Camden, which 
he reached on the loth instant. 

In this expedition, the enemy was first met on the tenth 
day's march, and near Terra Noir Creek, some four miles south 
of where General Steele had camped the night before. On the 
morning of the 2d of April, the day in question. Colonel Ben- 
ton, with his regiment and two pieces of artillery, was assigned 
the perilous position of rear-guard to the supply- and transpor- 
tation-train, consisting of about four hundred and fifty wagons. 
The day before the enemy's scouts had been frequently seen ; 
and it was known that the rebel General Shelby, with ten 
thousand cavalry, w^as in the neighborhood. Steele's main 
force, and a large portion of the train had already crossed the 
creek, when Shelby first made his appearance. Colonel Ben- 
ton, having himself disposed his forces, was barely in time to 
anticipate the dash of the gallant rascal, who, believing the 
entire train at his mercy, came on with the greatest celerity. 
Finding himself foiled, Shelby, after a spirited little contest, 
retired, and Colonel Benton, resuming the march, hurried up 
to the train. But after crossing the creek, he was again 
attacked by the enemy's skirmishers, who, from this point to 
three miles south of the creek, continued to harass his rear. 
Having now reached a commanding ridge. Colonel Benton 
halted his command in line of battle, and engaged the enemy 
for over an hour, and until he was reinforced by the 50th Indi- 
ana, brought back by General S. A. Rice. 

The history of that entire day's march is but a repetition of 



THOMAS H. BENTON. 449 

the above, with the exception that the forces engaged on both 
sides were being constantly reinforced. Late in the afternoon 
and near where General Steele had left the Washington road, 
Shelby was joined by Cabell, and Colonel Benton by the 9th 
Wisconsin Infantry. Here another engagement followed, 
when the enemy, being again repulsed, retired for the night. 
On the morning of the 4th of April, the battle of Elkin's 
Ford, on the Little Missouri River, was fought. Colonel 
Benton, although under fire with his regiment, was not 
engaged. The march through Prairie de Anne was attended 
by a series of skirmishes and engagements ; though none of 
them were bitterly contested. Jenkin's Ferry on the Saline 
River was the great battle of the campaign, and there Colonel 
Benton and his regiment most distinguished themselves. 

Steele occupied Camden from the evening of the loth to the 
night of the 26th of April, and then left on the return to Little 
Rock. During all this time, the enemy had been devising 
plans for his capture. Before he left they had sufficient forces 
to attack and defeat him at Camden, but this they did not do ; 
for their object was the capture of his army; and so confident 
were they of the success of their plans that, a rebel officer 
offered to wager large sums of money that General Steele 
would not see Little Rock, except as a prisoner of war. Had 
the rebel General Maxey, with his five thousand men, been 
purposely less vigilant in watching Steele at Camden, their 
schemes might have ripened into success; for Steele might 
have maintained himself by foraging several days longer, but 
this Maxey would not allow: he would pounce on every for- 
aging party sent out, thus compelling Steele to rely on his 
supply-trains from Pine Bluff. When the last train sent back 
was captured with its escort, he, of course, could do nothing 
but retire. The last Federal troops left Camden just before 

29 



450 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

mid-night of the 2Gth of April, taking tlie road via Princeton 
and Jenkin's Ferry. 

On the evening of the 28th of April, the retreating army 
encamped at Princeton, sixteen miles south of the ferry. The 
march was resumed early on the following morning, and pro- 
ceeded unmolested till some ten miles out from camp, when, in 
the midst of a most terrific thunder-storm, the rear-guard was 
opened on by the enemy's artillery. Price and Kirby Smith 
had come up by forced marches, having crossed the Washita 
some twenty-five miles below Camden ; and from this point, 
till Steele's advance reached the ferry, they continued to harass 
his rear. A pontoon-bridge had to be constructed, which, with 
the swollen waters of the river and the black darkness of the 
night, was well-nigh impracticable. There were also other 
difficulties to overcome, but these will be mentioned elsewhere. 

With all these obstacles to overcome, only the artillery and 
Carr's Division of Cavalry were able to reach the north bank of 
the Saline before day-light broke. It would have been impossi- 
ble, had there been more time, to cross the train; for the 
wagons were all sunk to their axles in miry quick-sands. The 
whole bottom was a vast mud-bed, and nearly the entire train 
and stores had to be burned. How the artillery was crossed I 
can not understand. In the meantime the enemy had made 
their dispositions, and were advancing to the attack. Carr 
was at once dispatched with his cavalry to Little Rock, while 
the infantry halted to fight the battle of Saline River. I should 
state that a portion of the infantry was sent over the river to 
guard the artillery. Only about five thousand were left on the 
south bank. 

The battle opened at day-light and on the part of the enemy 
with artillery. His force was not less than ten thousand — two 
rebels to one Federal, and the Federals had no artillery. Fur- 
ther particulars of this engagement will be found in the sketch 



THOMAS H. BENTON. 451 

of the late gallant General Rice, who was in command of our 
forces, and who received a wound, from the effects of which he 
died not long after. 

The 29th Iowa held the right of the line of battle, and half- 
knee deep in mud and water fought with the most determined 
bravery from the beginning to the end of the engagement. 
The gallant charge, which captured the enemy's artillery (the 
only artillery on the gi-ound) was made by this regiment in 
connection with the 2d Kansas (colored). One hundred and 
eight in killed and wounded was the list of casualties of this 
noble regiment. The colonel escaped uninjured, though his 
horse was shot dead under him. 

Returning to Little Rock with the balance of the forces, the 
29th Iowa went into camp where it remained for nearly a year. 
In February, 1865, it was ordered to New Orleans, where it 
was attached to the forces of General Canby. Its last services 
were, in aiding to reduce the strong forts that defended Mobile. 
The particular part that it acted, I have been unable to learn. 

Colonel Benton received his commission as brevet brigadier- 
general, while stationed with his command at Mobile Point, 
Alabama, and just before the forces marched from that place, 
against Spanish Fort. The rank is only complimentary : in 
justice, his commission should have made him a full brigadier. 

General Benton is six feet in hight, and has a well-formed 
person. He has dark brown hair, a light complexion, and 
mild, blue eyes. He lacks the dignity and majesty that 
characterized his late distinguished uncle. Like his uncle, 
however, he has large self-esteem, and full confidence in his 
ability. If he wants any thing, he asks for it directly, and not 
through another ; and, if he has done any thing, he does not 
affect modesty and refuse to let it be known. 

In religion. General Benton is a Methodist, and in politics. 



452 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

an ardent Republican. He was formerly a Democrat, but left 
that party in 1850. 

His military record is not a glaring one: indeed, there 
have been few brilliant ones made in the department where he 
has chiefly served. But no officer in the army has a more 
honorable record than he. Great confidence has always been 
placed in him by his superior officers. After General Steele 
had lost a great portion of his train near Camden, his chief 
hope of relief was in the safe escort of a provision-train of one 
hundred and ninety wagons, forty miles out on the Pine Bluflf 
road, and in charge of a few convalescents, under Colonel 
Mackey, of the 33d Iowa. The responsible and dangerous duty 
of bringing this train through in safety was assigned to 
Colonel Benton, with a force consisting of only two regiments 
of infantry, four pieces of artillery, and a small squadron of 
cavalry. 



COLONEL CHARLES HENRY ABBOTT. 

FIRST COLONEL, THIRTIETH INFANTRY. 

The late Charles H, Abbott of the 30th Iowa Infantry 
was born in Concord, New Hampshire, on the 25th day of 
January, 1819. His ancestors were Puritans. His grand-father 
of the sixth generation was George Abbott, who, coming from 
Yorkshire, England, settled in Andover, Massachusetts, in the 
year 1613. Of that patriarch's grand-children, numbering 
seventy-three, thirty settled in Andover. The others wan- 
dered through New England and the Middle Colonies, where 
they made themselves homes. The family is one of the oldest 
in the country, and also one of the most numerous and wide- 
spread. Nathaniel Abbott, the colonel's great-grand-father, 
was a captain in the Provincial Army, and served through the 
French and Indian wars. His grand-father, Joshua Abbott, 
was a captain under Warren, and commanded a company at 
Bunker Hill; and his father, also christened Joshua, a Congre- 
gational minister. The latter died at Norfolk, Virginia, in 
about the year 1828. The Rev. John S. C. Abbott, the cele- 
brated author and historian, is a cousin of the late colonel, as is 
also Jacob Abbott, an author of some note. 

The subject of this memoir, who was the youngest of eight 
children, left New England at the age of sixteen for New York, 
whence, after a few months' residence, he removed to Michi- 
gan. In 1850 he left Detroit, and, coming to Iowa, settled in 
Louisa county. Later he removed to Muscatine. His business 
in Iowa was that of a farmer, land-agent and banker. In 1853 
he married Miss Julia Beach, an accomplished lady and a 

453 



454 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

daughter of the Rev. John Beach of Michigan. Two little 
boys remain to her as her only hope. 

Colonel Abbott entered the service in the summer of 1862, as 
colonel of the 30th Iowa, and commanded his regiment in the 
battle of Chickasaw Bayou, and in the charge against the 
enemy's works at Vicksburg, on the 22d of May, 1863. In the 
last named engagement he was killed, while leading his regi- 
ment. Of the Iowa colonels, he was the third to fall dead or 
mortally wounded in battle. 

The operations of the 80th Iowa, while under the command 
of Colonel Abbott, will be found substantially recorded in the 
sketches of Brigadier-General, then Colonel Williamson, of the 
4th, and Colonel Milo Smith, of the 26th Iowa regiments. The 
30th Iowa was not engaged at Chickasaw Bayou, though it had 
four men wounded, while lying under the enemy's guns, on 
the third day of the battle — one corporal and three enlisted 

men. 

At Arkansas Post, the regiment was commanded by Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Torrence, Colonel Abbott being sick. In this 
action, it was under fire for about three hours. It engaged the 
enemy from behind their works on the left, and, lying down, 
kept up an incessant fire, till the white flag was hoisted. The 
regiment suffered quite severely in killed and wounded : five 
were killed, and thirty-nine wounded. Among the wounded 
were Captains R. D. Cramer and Uley Burk ; Lieutenants H. 
L. Creighton and W. L. Alexander; Sergeant-Major Clenden- 
ing, and Sergeants York, Detwiler and Gregg. The following 

is from Lieutenant-Colonel Torrence's report : 

"There is nothing further which I deem it my duty to men- 
tion, save that both officers and men generally acted well for 
new troops. I might mention to you with great propriety a 
few instances of cool and commendable courage, displayed by 
some of the men, they having fallen under my immediate 
notice during the action; but I forbear mentioning any save 



CHARLES H. ABBOTT. 465 

one, and that is the case of James M. Smith, a private of Com- 
pany C, a single young man, not yet arrived at liis majority. 
* * * His conduct on the battle-field, in the late engage- 
ment, was such as to secure implicit confidence in his courage 
and ability." 
The night following the engagement was one of great fatigue 

to the 30th Iowa ; for it was detailed to guard prisoners, and to 
escort them inside the fort, and was not relieved till after mid- 
night. The "Deer Creek raid" follows next in the history of 
the regiment, an account of which is elsewhere given; and 
next, the march to the rear of Vicksburg and the environment 
of that city. In this march, the regiment was attached to the 
loth Army Corps— Sherman's— and marched by way of Grand 
Gulf to Jackson, and thence to the rear of Vicksburg. General 
Sherman's account of the advance from Jackson will be read 
with interest. The 30th Iowa, it should be remembered, was 
attached to Steele's Division. 

"On the morning of the 16th, [May] I received a note from 
General Grant, written at Clinton, reporting the enemy 
advancing from Edward's Depot, and ordering me to put in 
motion one of my divisions toward Bolton, and to follow with 
the others as soon as I had completed the work of destruction 
ordered. 

"Steele's Division marched at ten A. M., and Tuttle's fol- 
lowed at noon. As the march would necessarily be rapid, I 
ordered General Mower to parole the prisoners of war, and to 
evacuate Jackson as the rear of Tuttle's division passed out. I 
paroled these prisoners because the wounded men of McPher- 
son's Corps had been left in a hospital in charge of Surgeon 
Hewitt, to the mercy of the enemy, who I knew would re-enter 
Jackson as soon as we left. The whole corps marched from 
Jackson to Bolton, nearly twenty miles, that day; and the 
next morning resumed the march by a road lying to the north 
of Baker's Creek, reaching Bridgeport, on the Big Black, at 
noon. There I found Blair's Division (which, with one of 
McClernand's Divisions, and a wagon-train had been left near 
New Auburn) and the pontoon-train. The enemy had a small 
picket on the west bank in a rifle-pit, commanding the crossing; 



456 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

but, on exploding a few shells over the pit, they came out 
and surrendered — a lieutenant and ten men. The pontoon- 
bridge was laid across under the direction of Captain Freeman, 
and Blair's and Steele's Divisions passed over that night. 
Tuttle's followed the next morning. Starting with the break 
of day, we pushed on rapidly and by nine and one-half A. M. 
of May 18th the head of the column reached the Benton road ; 
and we commanded the Yazoo, interposing a superior force 
between the enemy at Vieksburg and his forts on the Yazoo. 
Resting a sufficient time to enable the column to close up, we 
pushed forward to the point where the road forks, and sending 
forward on each road — the 13th Regulars to the right, and the 
8th Missouri to the left, with a battery at the forks, I awaited 
General Grant's arrival." 

From this point, Sherman, by Grant's order, gained a 
position in front of the enemy's works north of Vieksburg. 
Steele's Division led the advance, and, by a blind road on the 
right, winding through rugged, precipitous hills, came up 
squarely to the Mississippi above the city. This happened on 
the morning of the 19th instant ; and that morning a cheering 
sight greeted the eyes of the soldiers, who, for two weeks, or 
more, had been shut completely out from God's country. In 
plain view were the old camping-grounds at Young's Point; 
and, only five or six miles away, the Union fleet loaded down 
to the guards with government rations. Looking southward, 
the sight was less cheering. "Vieksburg was in plain view, 
and nothing separated us from the enemy but a space of about 
four hundred yards of very difficult ground, cut up by almost 
impassable ravines, and his line of intrenchments." 

Without that line of intrenchments, bristling with hostile 
bayonets, and defended by artillery, with black, gaping 
mouths staring madly at you through embrasures, the sight 
would have been magnificent ; for the dome of the court-house 
and the tall spires of wealthy churches looked up through the 
waving branches of luxuriant shade-trees, which dotted the 



CHARLES H. ABBOTT. 457 

lills and hill-slopes in all parts of the city. Splendid private 
esidences, too, adorned with all the taste of modern art, 
eflected their beauty in the morning and evening sun. 

The first charge against the enemy's works was made on the 
.9th of May, the day concerning which I have just now spoken, 
jreneral Grant's reasons for making this charge, and the results 
vhich followed, he gives as follows : 

"I was not without hope of carrying the enemy's works, 
■elying upon their demoralization, in consequence of repeated 
iefeats outside of Vicksburg ; and I ordered a general assault 
it 2 P. M. on this day. The 15th Army Corps, from having 
irrived in front of the enemy's works in time on the 18th to 
^et a good position, were enabled to make a vigorous assault, 
rhe 13th and 17th Corps succeeded no further than to gain 
idvanced positions, covered from the fire of the enemy." 

Neither this charge, nor the one made three days later, was 
successful ; and is it strange? It is rather wonderful that every 
nan who joined in these assaults was not left, either dead or 
svounded, under the guns of the enemy. 

The character of the country for miles around Vicksburg is 
tilly and broken; and the nearer you approach the city the 
wilder and more impracticable it becomes. The hills lie, as a 
general thing, I believe, in great parallel, semi-circular ridges, 
with Vicksburg as the centre; but they lap each other, and 
ihoot out spurs in every direction, thus forming deep, winding 
ravines, which were filled, as a general thing, with under- 
brush, and standing and fallen timber. The works around 
Vicksburg were constructed by the best engineers the Con- 
federacy could boast; and not a ravine was there which 
approached these works that was not swept by artillery and 
enfiladed by musketry. The hill-sides were precipitous, and 
in many places obstructed: these were also swept by a front 
and enfilading fire. None who know the ground will say that 
I have drawn too strong a picture. 



458 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

Grant failed to carry the enemy's works on the 19th instant. 
The following are his reasons for attempting it on the 22cl. : 

*' I believed an assault from the position at this time gnioied 
could be made successfully. It was known that Johnson was 
at Clinton with the force taken by him from Jackson, reinforced 
by other troops from the east, and that more were daily reach- 
ing him. With the force I had, a short time must have 
enabled him to attack me in the rear, and possibly succeed in 
raising the siege. Possession of Vicksburg at that time would 
have enabled me to turn upon Johnson, and drive him from 
the State, and possess myself of the railroads and practicable 
military highways, thus effectually securing to ourselves all 
territory west of the Tombigbee ; and this, before the season 
was too far advanced for campaigning in this latitude. I 
would have saved the government sending large reinforcements, 
much needed elsewhere; and finally, the troops themselves 
were impatient to possess Vicksburg, and would not have 
worked in the trenches with the same zeal, believing it unnec- 
essary, that they did after their failure to carry the enemy's 
works." 

There was one other reason, I believe, which influenced Gen- 
eral Grant in making the assault, of which from some cause he 
does not speak. Valorous Falstaffs at the North, some of 
them wearing civic honors and others at the head of influen- 
tial public presses, had long croaked of indecision and inactiv- 
ity. Such (and they were legion) could not be appeased, except 
by blood ; but even now he had not closed their twaddling lips; 
for they prated of the " useless sacrifice." Now that he wears 
triumjihal honors, they fawn about him like so many worthless 
curs ; but I know he spurns them with contempt. 

Twice it has been my fortune, myself removed from danger, 
to witness the fierce conflict of two contending armies. Once, 
standing on a high hill on the north bank of the Tennessee, I 
saw the veterans of Howard assail the enemy and drive them 
from their works on Orchard Knoll, back of Chattanooga. I 
also had previously witnessed the bloody and unsuccessful 



CHARLES H. ABBOTT. 459 

charge of the 22d of INIay, at Vicksburg : that was the grandest 
and most terrible sight I ever looked on. The high ground 
east of Fort Hill and near the White House was the stand- 
point ; and I can now recall the whole scene, as though it had 
passed but yesterday. Here was Grant's look-out, and, near 
him, were INIcPherson and Logan. Sherman was already 
advancing on the right ; and soon McClernand was boasting 
that he had captured three forts, and was master of his 
position. I heard a lieutenant-colonel announce this to Logan, 
when that general yelled with an oath to the new brigadier, 
Leggett, "to move at once on the enemy's works in his front, 
or he would arrest him." 

All this time, and for more than an hour previous, above an 
hundred pieces of artillery had been booming, and throwing 
their ponderous projectiles into and above the enemy's works. 
Porter, during the same time, was tossing his big mortar shells 
into the doomed city. Huge volumes of smoke in front, and 
on the right and left, were rising lazily in the air, revealing 
the most interesting and anxious part of the scene— the 
infantry. There they were — some winding their long 
lengths through the deep ravines, to gain their designated 
positions, and others, further on, deployed on the hill-sides, 
and, with their bodies thrown forward, working their way 
up toward the enemy's works. So intent was I in watching 
those in front that I did not observe others. These, soon 
arriving near the summit of the hill across which stretched 
the enemy's works, raised the battle-cry, and dashed forward. 
I began to hope there was no enemy to oppose them, or that 
they would not fire ; but at that very instant, the smoke from 
at least two thousand muskets leaped down in their very faces. 
Horrors! It seemed as though three-fourths of them fell. 
The line did not waver : the men were butchered ; for I saw 



460 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

only a few run hurriedly back down the hill. By reports 
afterward made, however, the casualties could not have been 
as large as I suppose : many of the men, while enveloped in 
the smoke, must have sought and found cover. 

The 30th Iowa was under Steele, away on the extreme right, 
and beyond my observation ; but it joined in the same general 
charge, a portion of which I have given. Among the many 
gallant men who fell that day, on the slopes and ridges that 
encircle Vicksburg, was the lamented Colonel Charles H. 
Abbott. He was struck in the chin by a musket-ball, which, 
passing through his throat, came out at the back of his neck. 
He fell instantly and was carried from the field. His last 
words were words of cheer to his men. He never spoke after he 
was shot, and lived only about three hours. He died and was 
buried near the spot where he fell; and the valley beneath 
whose turf he was temporarily laid was designated by General 
Sherman as "Abbott's Valley." His body was afterward 
removed to Muscatine and buried on the banks of the majestic 
Mississippi. Iowa, "the land of flowers," and the State he 
loved so well is the shrine of his mortal remains. Brave, good 
man ! he lived worthily and died nobly ; and his name stands 
among the first on the State's Roll of Honor. 



COLONEL WILLIAM M. G. TORRENCE. 

SECOND COLONEL, THIRTIETH INFANTRY. 

William M. G. Torrence, the successor of Colonel Abbott 
to the colonelcy of the 30th Iowa Infantry, was the eighth of 
the Iowa colonels who lost their lives in the service — Worth- 
ington, Baker, Mills, Dewey, Kinsman, Abbott, Hughes, and 
Torrence. Of those who lost their lives in battle, he was the 
fifth— Baker, Mills, Kinsman, Abbott, and Torrence. 

Colonel Torrence was a native of Westmoreland county, 
Pennsylvania, where he was born the 1st day of September, 
1823. His parents were Presbyterians, of which church he was 
also a member. His mother died in his early infancy, and left 
him to the kind care of an esteemed and most worthy sister, 
who reared him with almost maternal tenderness. 

In early manhood, he left his native State for Kentucky, 
where he became a school-teacher; and in this capacity he 
passed several years. He was engaged in school-teaching in 
Kentucky, at the time war was declared against Mexico; but, 
like Colonel Scott of the 32d Iowa, left the school-room and 
volunteered. He was a first lieutenant in that war, and a 
member of the 1st Kentucky Mounted Volunteers, commanded 
by the portly, perfidious Humphrey Marshall. His cool judg- 
ment and commendable courage in action won him distinction. 
He was highly complimented for the part he acted at the battle 
of Buena Vista, being tendered a commission in the regular 
army of the same rank as that which he held in the volunteer 
service ; but he declined the honor, and, at the close of the war, 
returned home with his regiment. 

461 



462 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

In the latter part of 1817, Lieutenant Toi'rence came to Iowa, 
and settled in Keokuk, where he resumed his former occupa- 
tion, and where he made his home till the outbreak of the 
rebellion. During his residence in Keokuk, he was for several 
years City Superintendent of Public Instruction. In the 
spring of 1861, ho enlisted a comi)any (A) for the 1st Iowa 
Cavalry, and was in June commissioned major of the first 
battalion of that regiment. In the winter of 18G1-2, he served 
with his battalion in Central Missouri, and had command of 
posts in Howard, Pettis and Cooper counties. At Silver Creek, 
in January 1862, he engaged and defeated the rebel Colonel 
Poindexter, capturing and destroying his camp and his train. 
While a member of the 1st Iowa Cavalry, he served with 
credit to himself, and was equally successful as a post-com- 
mandant, and as a leader of expeditions to hunt out and 
punish guerrillas. He was a terror to the Missouri bush- 
whackers. 

On the 3d of May, 1862, for reasons unknown to me. Major 

Torrence resigned his commission, and returned to his home in 
Keokuk. 

After the call of the President for additional troops in the 
summer of 1862, Major Torrence again volunteered, and was 
made lieutenant-colonel of the 30th Iowa Infantry. In Octo- 
ber, 1862, he accompanied his regiment to the field, and was 
with it in all its subsequent campaigns and engagements. At 
Arkansas Post, where he commanded his regiment, he partic- 
ularly distinguished himself; and at the memorable charge 
against the enemy's works at Vicksburg, where Colonel Abbott 
was killed, he bore himself with equal gallantry. On the 29th 
day of May, 1863, he was commissioned colonel of the 30th 
Iowa ; and, from that day till the 21st of October, 1863, he 
remained in command of his regiment. 

The history of the 30th Iowa during the colonelcy of Colonel 



WILLIAM M. G. TORRENCE. 463 

Torrence covers the siege of Vicksburg; the march to Jackson 
under General Sherman after the surrender of Vicksburg, and 
a portion of the march from Memphis to Chattanooga. It was 
on tlio hist named march that the colonel was killed. 

An account of all the above operations has already been 
given in the sketches of other officers and regiments, and can 
not be repeated with interest. This however should be said in 
justice to the 30th Iowa : no regiment from the State surpasses 
it in gallant and meritorious services ; and, of the Iowa troops 
called out in the summer of 1862, no regiment has done more 
fighting, and few have done as much. In the face of the 
enemy, it has always conducted itself with conspicuous gal- 
lantry, challenging the admiration of both its brigade and 
division commanders. From the time of its entering the field 
to the present, the 30th has served in the same division with 
the 4th, 9th, 25th, 26th and 31st Iowa regiments. 

The services of the 30th Iowa, and of the Iowa troops before 
Vicksburg, were arduous and exhausting. After operations 
had settled down into a regular siege, the troops suffered chiefly 
from tlie intense heat in the trenches, and from the want of 
good water. The labor in digging the approaches, and of con- 
structing new forts and planting artillery, was the hardest and 
most dreaded. The Federal camps were so securely established 
tack behind the hills, as to render them comparatively safe 
from the enemy's scattering musketry, and from the ponderous 
missiles of their artillery. The skirmish-line was the place of 
chief danger; and yet, the skirmish-line was the scene of much 
amusement. Regiments took their regular turn on the skir- 
mish-line, every two or three days, usually going out in the 
morning, and holding their posts for twenty-four hours. They 
were protected by old logs, fallen trees, and slight earth-works. 
Every man had his chosen place — in the crotch of a fallen 



464 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

tree, at the end of a log, behind a stump, or somewhere; and 
the regular day for his regiment at the front, was sure to find 
him there, unless he had been struck by a "Johnnie," or left 
sick in camp. Thousands to-day can go to the very spot where, 
during the siege of forty-five days, they slammed away. 

A favorite amusement with many of the men, was to stick 
their hats on the end of their guns, and then, thrusting them 
just above the works, invite the "Johnnies" to "hit that." It 
was nothing uncommon, too, for the men to "take a game of 
seven-up." It is wonderful what indifference to danger men 
acquire from being constantly exposed to it. 

The greater portion of the montlis of August and September, 
1863, were passed by the 30th Iowa in camp on Big Black 
River. In the latter part of September, the regiment marched 
with its brigade to Vicksburg, and proceeded thence by boat 
to Memphis. Going by rail from Memphis to Corinth, it 
marched thence for Chattanooga. The 30th was attached to 
General Osterhaus' Division, which marched out to Tuscumbia, 
Alabama, to call the attention of the enemy from Sherman's 
real line of march. It was on that march that Colonel Tor- 
rence wjxs killed. 

He was shot by the enemy, in ambush, just beyond Cherokee 
Station and among the wild hills of northern Alabama. I 
remember the day well. It was in the afternoon of the 2l8t 
of October, and stormy and dismal. The troops of John E. 
Smith's Division, being only about seven miles in rear of 
Osterhaus', could hear the firing distinctly. That night no 
baggage was unloaded, and we slept in a cold, drizzling rain. 
We expected to be thrown to the front the next morning, and 
all were gloomy. But the next morning we remained in 
camp, and watched the ambulances that were bearing to the 
rear the dead and wounded of Osterhaus' Division : when the 



WILLIAM M. G. TORRENCE. 465 

dead body of Colonel Torrence went past, there were not a 
few sad hearts among the Iowa troops. The Colonel was shot 
through the breast while at the head of his regiment, and died 
almost instantly. 

The following, as nearly as I can learn, are the circumstances 
under which Colonel Torrence was killed; and General Oster- 
haus was severely censured by some, for the part he acted. 
The enemy were met just beyond Cherokee. Between the 
Federal and Confederate forces was an open field, bordered by 
dense timber ; and Osterhaus' line of march was eastward in 
the direction of Tuscumbia. Forming his line, he advanced 
across the field, when the enemy fell back into the woods, in 
their rear. Colonel J. A. Williamson, in command of the bri- 
gade to which the 30th Iowa was attached, on arriving at the 
edge of the timber, left his command in line, and rode forward 
to reconnoitre. On returning, he met Colonel Torrence 
advancing with his regiment by the flank, and said to him: 
"How is this. Colonel? you are not obeying orders." Colonel 
Torrence, lifting his hat, and in his bland, gentlemanly way, 
replied: "I am acting under the orders of General Osterhaus." 
Colonel Williamson then rode back to the balance of his com- 
mand, but had hardly re-joined it, when a volley of musketry 
was heard down the road. 

Colonel Torrence had discovered the enemy only an instant 
before they fired, and was just deploying his regiment in line. 
He was shot through the breast, and, as I have before said, fell 
from his horse, and died almost instantly. 

In the skirmish near Cherokee, (for so it was called) the loss 
of the 30th Iowa was twenty-seven in killed, wounded and 
missing. Captain William H. Randall was among the killed. 
He was a native of Indiana, and a resident of Birmingham, 
Van Buren county. Brave, modest and unassuming, he was 
deservedly one of the most popular officers of his regiment. 



466 IOWA COLONELS AND KEGIMENTS. 

If I ever saw Colonel Torrence, I did not know him; but 1 
am told he was a tall, slender man, with agreeable manners 
and affable address. At the time of his death, his head was 
heavily sprinkled with gray. He was a good scholar, and, 
judging from his official papers, a man of good taste and judg- 
ment. He was a Christian gentleman, and, as a citizen, held 
in the highest esteem. 

The following is an extract from his last communication sent 
to the adjutant-general of Iowa: 

" Head-quarters 30th Regiment Iowa Volunteers, 
luKA, Mississippi, October 13th, 1863. 

"N. B. Baker, Adjutant- General of Iowa : 

" Accompanying this, you will receive two flags, worn out 
in the service. They were carried by the 30th Iowa during 
their marches a distance of five thousand seven hundred 
miles, between October 26th, 1862, and October 10th, 1863." 

Quite in contrast is the following extract from the report of 
an Iowa officer, whose name I will not give. 

"Exposed to every danger, they were ever conspicuous for 
their cool, daring courage, and the ardor of their souls, blended 
with pure love for their country, beamed from their counte- 
nances, and hung about them, ' Like the bright Iris, o'er the 
boiling surge.' " 



COLONEL WILLIAM SMYTH. 

THIBTY-FIRST INFANTRY. 

William Smyth was born in the year 1824. England, 
Scotland and Ireland are all represented among the Iowa 
colonels. Colonel William Smyth is the Irish representative. 

His history, so far as I know it, is briefly as follows : He 
was born in Ireland, and emigrated to this country about the 
year 1838. A year or two later, he settled in Linn county, 
Iowa, where he has made his home ever since. He is one of 
the oldest residents of that county. He came to the State 
ignorant and poor ; but educated himself, and is now wealthy 
and one of the ablest lawyers in Iowa. He was at an early 
day district judge of what is now the Eighth Judicial District. 
He was also one of our Code Commissioners. He is reported 
as being the only able and responsible man in his part of the 
State who has no enemies. 

William Smyth entered the service as colonel of the 31st 
Iowa Infantry, one of the twenty-two infantry regiments 
organized in the State in the summer and fall of 1862. His 
commission, like those of eleven other Iowa colonels, bears 
date of the 10th of August, 1862. At the time of entering the 
service, he had, I am told, no military knowledge or training : 
he was made a colonel on account of his worth. 

The services of the 31st Iowa, up to the arrival of Sherman 
at Savannah, can be learned in the histories of the 4th, 9tli, 
25th, 26th and 30th Iowa regiments. It joined these regiments 
at Helena, late in the fall of 1862, and has served with them 
ever since. The expedition to Chickasaw Bayou ; that up the 
Arkansas River to Arkansas Post, and also that to near the 

467 



468 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

Yazoo, known as the " Deer Creek raid; " the march to the rear 
of Vicksburg, and the protracted and exhausting siege of the 
city; the return march of Sherman to Jackson, Mississippi, in 
pursuit of Johnson ; the movement of Sherman's Corps from 
tlie Big Black up the river to Memphis, in the fall of 1864, 
and thence to Corinth, and the march from Corinth to Chatta- 
nooga; the brilliant campaign of Sherman from Daltou to 
Atlanta; the pursuit of Hood to North Eastern Alabama, at 
the time he began his disastrous raid north ; and, finally, the 
grand marches from Atlanta to Savannah, and from Savannah 
to Raleigh, are all embraced in the record of the 81st Iowa 
regiment. 

There is little in the march from Atlanta of special interest ; 
for, previous to the time it was begun, the rebel forces had 
become so scattered as to make resistance, on their part, feeble 
and ineffectual. With the exception of the cavalry, the Fed- 
eral troops marched with little molestation, and with an 
abundance of supplies. It was rather an agreeable campaign 
than otherwise. On the other hand, the march from Savannah 
to Goldsboro was one of great hardship. The advance was 
made in the face of a foe too feeble, it is true, to offer much 
serious resistance, and yet strong enough to occasion much 
anxiety. In addition to this, much of the country over which 
the march lay, presented strong natural obstructions. One 
who accompanied General Sherman in his last grand cam- 
paign, gives the following picture of one of the advancing 
columns; and the experiences of all were nearly the same: 

" If the head of the column is checked by bad roads, it masses 
and goes to work with a vengeance, assisting the pioneers. 
The object is to get the roads in such condition that the artillery- 
trains can pass. If the bottom be good and the water not suffi- 
ciently deep to damage the ammunition in the wagons, and 
the swamp not more than one mile across, we always bulge 



WILLIAM SMYTH. 469 

through. If our column is checked by the enemy, it deploys 
into position and fights a little, while other troops push ahead 
and flank the enemy. If several columns are checked, we 
deploy into position, (nicest maneuver in the world) press the 
enemy closely at all points, and, if no advantage occurs, pitch 
in and whip them like h— 1. General Sherman never bothers 
us upon such occasions, unless we are getting a little too far 
round, or not quite far round enough, or a little too brisk; for 
he knows precisely what we are going to do. But if we get a 
little too fast, he always modestly makes his appearance and 
says: "Hold up a little there, boys, d— n it! wait till the 14th 
gets fairly in;" or words to that effect. To be sure, he does 
not say this so that we can hear him ; for he speaks through 
the regular channel ; but then we all know what General Sher- 
man says. 

"Advancing in line of battle through woods, brush, over 
logs, through swamps, down embankments, and over wood- 
piles, is easily done, because we all know how. We never 
think of keeping step, or touching elbows— pshaw! Each 
man knows just where he ought to be, and keeps his eye upon 
the spot where, theoretically, he is until he gets there. This 
may cost him a dozen flank movements on his own hook." 

Though the above is a facetious picture of General Sherman's 
progress through the swamps and timber of South Carolina, it 
has in it less of fiction than of history. 

When Sherman left Atlanta, his plan was, to use his own 
words, "to leave an army in the West, under Major-General 
G. H. Thomas, of sufficient strength, to meet emergencies in 
that quarter, while he conducted another army, composed of 
the 14th, 15th, 17th, and 20th corps and Kilpatrick's Division 
of cavalry, to the Atlantic slope, aiming to approach the grand 
theatre of war in Virginia, by the time the season would 
admit of military operations in that latitude." Hardee aban- 
doned Savannah during the night of the 20th of December, 
and, twenty days later, the 15th and 17th Corps began embark- 
ing at Fort Thunderbolt for Beaufort, South Carolina, prepar- 
atory to marching " to the grand theatre of war in Virginia." 



470 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

Near Beaufort, the 31st Iowa remained in camp with its 
brigade till the 27th of January, when it begun the march 
inland. The grand army moved in three columns, the 17th 
Corps on the right, the 15th in the centre, and the 14th and 
20th Corps and Kilpatrick's Cavalry on the left. As already 
stated. Colonel Stone's Iowa Brigade, to which the 31st Iowa 
belonged, was attached to the 15th Corps, whose line of march 
was nearly due north till arriving at Columbia, after which it 
was directed north-east toward Fayetteville and Goldsboro, 
North Carolina. On this march, the 31st Iowa with its brigade 
met the enemy at three different points — on the Little Con- 
garee Creek near Columbia, at Columbia, and near Bentonville, 
North Carolina. 

The first engagement occurred on the loth of February, 1865. 
That morning the 2d Brigade of the 1st Division, Colonel Cal- 
leson, led the advance and encountered the enemy soon after 
leaving camp ; but they made little resistance till arriving at 
the Little Congaree, where, having taken up a strong position, 
they brought the head of the column to a halt. Next in rear 
of Colonel Calleson's Brigade was Colonel Stone's, which was 
at once ordered to the front and deployed in line of battle. 
The enemy were soon flanked without serious loss, and a cross- 
ing over the Little Congaree secured. With little delay, the 
march was continued in the direction of Columbia, where the 
army arrived in the afternoon of the 16th instant. Columbia, 
the South Carolina Capital, situated on the north bank of the 
Congaree and just below the junction of the Broad and Saluda 
Rivers, was one of the prettiest cities in all the South. It was 
formerly the centre of South Carolina politics and South Caro- 
lina wealth. When, in marching upon the high ground south 
of the river, the sight of the boasted city first greeted the eyes 
of the soldiers, they were filled with wonder at its beauty. 
Immediately in their front was the Congaree, hidden from 



WILLIAM SMYTH. 471 

view by a broad belt of pine timber; but over the tops of the 
tall, waving trees were plainly to be seen the handsome build- 
ings and the beautiful surroundings of Columbia. 

Only the 15th and 17th Corps marched on the city. The 14th 
and 20th crossed Broad River at Zion Church, and marched 
through Alston, destroying the road, and proceeding thence in 
the direction of Winnsboro. Of the two corps before Colum- 
bia, the 15th held the left and the 17th the right. The 3d 
Brigade, 1st Division, of the 15th, was the first organized com- 
mand to cross Broad Biver. It was to the same command that 
Columbia was formally surrendered by the rebel mayor, on the 
morning of the 17th of February. 

On the afternoon of the 16th instant. General Logan had 
efi-ected a crossing of the Saluda, and pushed a portion of his 
command to near the west bank of Broad Biver. George 
A. Stone's Brigade was sent forward to the river bank, 
with instructions to cross the stream that night in pontoons, 
and cover the crossing of its corps the next morning-perhaps, 
to move on the city; for that is what was done. "The point 
determined on for crossing, was about one mile above the 
wreck of the bridge, and two miles above the city. It was 
expected to have effected a crossing by mid-night; but the cur- 
rent of the river was so very strong, the engineer did not 
succeed in getting a line across till three o'clock of the morning 
of the 17th instant. At ten minutes before four, I sent over 
two boat-loads of sharp-shooters under Captain Bowman of 
my staff, with instructions to have them placed as skirmishers, 
with the centre of the line opposite the landing, and at least 
seventy-five yards distant. He had particular instructions to 
keep his men quiet, and not to reply to any firing of the 
enemy, unless satisfied they meant an attack before the column 
could cross. I went over with the advance-the 31st lowa- 
and made a personal reconnoissance of the ground." 



472 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

The landing was effected on a crescent-shaped island, one or 
more bayous separating it from the main land. Here Colonel 
Stone assembled his command, or all except a portion of the 
4th Iowa, which had not yet crossed, and at day-light charged 
the enemy. The struggle lasted but a few moments ; for the 
main rebel army had already abandoned the city, leaving only 
a few regiments to delay the crossing. Colonel Stone marched 
directly on the city, and when near the suburbs, met a carriage 
flying a flag of truce, and bearing the rebel mayor, Goodwin. 
Terms of capitulation were tendered and accepted, when the 
Iowa Brigade, of the loth Corps, entered and occupied Colum- 
bia. It was the proudest day these gallant troops had seen 
since entering the war. 

Of the capture of Columbia, General Sherman says, in his 
official report: 

"Under cover of this brigade, [Stone's] a pontoon-bridge 
was laid on the morning of the 17th. I was, in person, at this 
bridge, and at eleven A. M. learned that the mayor of Colum- 
bia had come out in a carriage, and made a formal surrender 
of the city to Colonel George A. Stone, 25th Iowa, commanding 
3d Brigade, 1st Division, 15th Corps. About the same time, a 
small party of the 17th Corps had crossed the Congaree in a 
skiff, and entered Columbia from a point immediately west." 

The night following the capture of Columbia, the greater 
portion of the city was burned ; not, however, by the Federal 
soldiery, but by that rebel wretch. Wade Hampton, who had, 
for this very purpose, flooded the place with cotton. A high 
wind and bad whisky were the confederates of his wicked 
scheme. The sight was heart-rending. Decrepit old men, and 
helpless women and children, rushed wildly from their burning 
dwellings, and cried most piteously for help; but, though the 
soldiers exerted their utmost, it was long before they could 
stay the devouring element. 

From Columbia, the line of march of the 15th Corps lay 



WILLIAM SMYTH. 473 

through Cheraw and Fayetteville, and thence to Goldsboro 
and Raleigh; but in all this distance the 3d Brigade of Wood's 
Division failed to meet the enemy, till arriving near Benton- 
ville, on the route from Fayetteville to Goldsboro. In the 
battles that were fought near Bentonville, on the 20th and 21st 
of February, the Iowa Brigade took an important part. These 
were the last battles of the campaign, and decided the fate of 
General Johnson's army, if, indeed, it had not been decided 
before. In the march to Goldsboro, near which place the 
armies of Sherman and Schofield formed a junction, the Iowa 
Brigade held the post of honor— the rear-guard of its division 

and corps. 

The results of the campaign, as regards Colonel Stone's Bri- 
gade, are summed up as follows : 

«' This brigade has been in four engagements, with the fol- 
lowing loss: killed, seven ; wounded, sixty-four; and missing, 
twelve. We have captured and turned over to the provost- 
marshal one hundred and forty-five prisoners of war. In the 
capture of Columbia, South Carolina, we took about five thou- 
sand stand of arms, immense quantities of ammunition and 
ordnance stores, and released forty Federal officers confined 
there. We have marched four hundred and eighty-five miles, 
built fifteen thousand and thirty-seven yards of corduroy road, 
and destroyed three miles of railroad." 
The following is from the history of the regiment: 
"Colonel William Smyth commanded the regiment from the 
time of its organization till the 13th of August, 1863, at which 
time, Lieuteuant-ColonelJenkins being at home with wounds 
received at Vicksburg during the charge of May 22d, the regi- 
ment was commanded by Major Stimming, until August 22d, 

1863, when Lieutenant-Colonel Jenkins rejoined his command, 
and commanded the regiment from that date to February 1st, 

1864. Lieutenant-Colonel Jenkins then taking command of 
the brigade, Major Stimming commanded the regiment from 
that date to March 10th, 1864. Lieutenant-Colonel Jenkms 
then commanded it to March 20th, at which time he went 
home on leave of absence, and Major Stimming agam com- 



474 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

manded to April 20th, 1864. Lieutenant-Colonel Jenkins 
returning, he commanded until May 1st, 1864, when Colonel 
Smyth, having rejoined the regiment, commanded from May 
1st to September 25th, being then detailed to command the 
brigade. Lieutenant-Colonel J. W. Jenkins has been in com- 
mand from that date to the present time. * * The regiment 
was first armed with Prussian smooth-bore muskets; before 
taking the field actively, it was armed with Enfield rifle 
muskets. September 28th, 1864, it was armed with Spring- 
field rifie muskets. 

Colonel Smyth resigned his commission after the arrival of 
his regiment at Savannah. Accordingly, in the march from 
Beaufort, the 31st was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel J. 
W. Jenkins, who, during the campaign, was thrice compli- 
mented by his brigade commander for gallant conduct. 

Colonel Smyth is a large man and rather portly. In his 
deportment he is kind, candid and dignified. His merit as a 
soldier consisted in his kind care for his men, and in his great 
bravery. He was not an apt tactician. I am told he would sit 
quietly upon his horse under a sharp fire of the enemy, while 
determining upon the proper command to be given to his regi- 
ment for some designated movement. Not long after entering 
the service, he was ordered by his brigade commander, while 
drilling his battalion, to throw it into a certain position. 
Not remembering the proper command, he rode up to his 
adjutant and enquired : " Lieutenant, what shall I say ? " 



COLONEL JOHN SCOTT. 

THIRTY-SECOND INFANTRY. 

John Scott, the commander of the Union forces at Blue 
Mills, Missouri, and one of the chief heroes at the battle of 
Pleasant Hill, Louisiana, is a native of Jefferson county, Ohio, 
where he was born on the 14th day of April, 1824. He is a 
lawyer by profession, and was admitted to the bar in 1845, in 
Steubenville, Ohio, where he had pursued his legal studies. 
But, being without means, and seeing less certain subsistence 
in the practice of his profession, than in the business of teach- 
ing, he removed to Kentucky, where, for two or more years, 
he was engaged in conducting county academies and select 
female schools. He was a resident of Kentucky, at the time 
war was declared with Mexico, and volunteered in the 1st 
Kentucky Mounted Volunteers, Colonel Humphrey Marshall's 
regiment. The late Colonel W. M. G. Torrence, of the 30th 
Iowa, who, like Colonel Scott, was then engaged in teaching in 
Kentucky, was a member of the same regiment. But in his 
connection with the Mexican service. Colonel Scott was unfor- 
tunate. He was one of the party of seventy that, on the 23d 
of January, 1847, was captured at Encarnacion, and taken to 
the city of Mexico. He was retained a prisoner of war, until 
the following October, and then released at Tampico. 

At the close of the Mexican war. Colonel Scott returned to 

Kentucky, and, locating in Mount Sterling, became the editor 

of the "Kentucky Whig." Soon after his return he published 

an account of his prison-life. He continued his residence in 

Kentucky until the year 1856, when he removed to Nevada, 

Iowa; though two years before he had visited the State in 

475 



476 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

search of a home on free soil. In Kentucky, he was a man of 
influence— in his congressional district at least; though his 
principles were such as to attach him to the unpopular party. 
In the canvass made by General Scott for the Presidency, he 
took an active part, advocating the claims and merits of that 
officer ; and at that early day he did not fail to warn the people 
of his adopted State of the suicidal policy of agitating the 
Slavery question. 

In the fall of 1859, Colonel Scott was elected to the Iowa State 
Senate, to represent the counties of Hardin, Hamilton, Boone 
and Story, and was a member and holding a seat in that body 
at the time of accepting a commission in the volunteer service. 
He entered the war as captain of Company E, 3d Iowa 
Infantry, but, on the final organization of that regiment, was 
promoted to the lieutenant-colonelcy. The early history of the 
3d Iowa Infantry, and the part taken in the battle of Blue 
Mills, Missouri, by Lieutenant-Colonel Scott, in command of 
that regiment and the other Union forces, appears in the sketch 
of Colonel Wilson G. Williams. 

Lieutenant-Colonel Scott was promoted to the colonelcy of 
the 32d Iowa Infantry, on the 10th day of August, 1862, and at 
once joined that regiment at its rendezvous near Dubuque. 
The 32d regiment, which was enlisted from the Sixth Con- 
gressional District, numbered at the time it was mustered 
into the service about nine hundred and thirty men. It was, 
as was the case with the majority of the Iowa regiments organ- 
ized under the call of that Summer, made up from our best 
yeomanry. The first year and a half of its service was not 
eventful, and gave the regiment little reputation; for, from 
October, 1862, the date of its arrival at St. Louis, Missouri, 
until the month of March, 1864, it was stationed in detachments 
at Cape Girardeau, New Madrid, Fort Pillow, Columbus, and 



JOHN SCOTT. 477 

at other points along the Mississippi, on camp- and post-duty; 
and it rarely happens that incidents occur on such duty that 
attract general attention. In the case of this regiment, 
however, there was one such incident: it was widely talked of 
at the time; but its history with many was not understood. 

It will be remembered that, in the latter part of December, 
1862, Colonel, afterward General Forest, with a force estimated 
at from five to seven thousand men, made his appearance in 
Western Tennessee and Kentucky. It was on this same raid 
that Forest threatened Jackson, Tennessee, destroyed some 
thirty miles of railroad north of that place, and fought with the 
brigade of Colonel Dunham the battle of Parker's Cross Boads. 
On the 28th of December, 1862, Colonel Scott, under instructions 
from General Curtis, left Cape Girardeau, Missouri, to join six 
companies of his regiment, stationed at New Madrid, and 
occupying that place. By his instructions, he was to have 
oversight of the country from New Madrid to Cape Girardeau. 
On the afternoon of the 28th, he arrived at Columbus, Ken- 
tucky, and called on General Davies, then commancUng at that 
place, for the purpose of consulting with him, and obtaining 
information. On arriving at head-quarters, he found General 
Davies in conference with Generals Tuttle and Fisk, (both of 
the Department of Missouri) and in a state of great apprehen- 
sion. The general believed the object of the enemy was the 
capture of Fort Pillow ; and, assuming authority from Gen- 
eral Curtis, ordered Colonel Scott to abandon New Madrid, and 
reinforce that place. The colonel remonstrated, and inquired 
for his authority; but, though the general failed to find the 
dispatch, he substantiated its substance by General Fisk. The 
colonel had no choice in the matter, for his duty as a subordi- 
nate officer was clear; but, though he entered upon it with 
apparent alacrity, I venture the assertion, he did not with a 
fully subordinate spirit. Hence it was that the government 



478 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

property at New Madrid and Island No. 10, was destroyed, in 
consequence of which. General Carr, unjustly, and without 
inquiry, placed Colonel Scott under arrest. But the finding 
of the commission, which was ordered to investigate the mat- 
ter, was for the colonel a full vindication ; for it found that 
"he did his duty, and was honorably acquitted of all blame." 
Naturally sensitive, and extremely jealous of his military 
record, the simple fact of his being put under arrest was a 
source of great mortification ; but, to those who were 
acquainted with the circumstances, the affair was not only not 
detracting to him as a military man, but was a recommenda- 
tion of great value. 

I have stated that the 32d Iowa was stationed on camp- and 
picket-duty a principal portion of the time from October, 1862, 
until March, 1864. I should not however omit to state that, 
early in February, 1864, Colonel Scott, with a part of his regi- 
ment, accompanied General Sherman on his march to Meridian. 
In this expedition, and in that one under General Banks up 
the Red River, the regiment was brigaded with the 14th, and 
27th Iowa, and the 24th Missouri. On the Meridian march, 
there was no general engagement, and, if I mistake not, the 
32d Iowa, as a regiment, met the enemy for the first time in 
the assault and capture of Fort De Russey, an account of 
which affair is given in the sketch of General James I. Gilbert, 
formerly of the 27th Iowa. 

Colonel Scott, in command of his regiment, sailed from 
Vicksburg for the mouth of Red River, on the 10th of 
March, 1864, his regiment forming a part of the 3d Division, 
16th Army Corps, commanded by General A. J. Smith. On 
the evening of the 12th instant, the fleet bearing this command 
arrived at Simmsport, Lousiana, situated at the junction of 
Bayou Atachafalya with the Red River, and one of the places 



JOHN SCOTT. 479 

through which General Banks passed, while marching to 
invest Port Hudson. 

From Simmsport to Alexandria, General Smith had no 
other aid or reinforcements than the gun-boat fleet of Admiral 
Porter; and between these two points was the strong work of 
the enemy, known as Fort De Russey. But Fort De Bussey 
was captured, and Alexandria reached in safety, on the even- 
ing of the 15th instant. Some days after the arrival of General 
Banks with his command from Franklin, Lousiana, the 
combined forces, numbering about fifteen thousand men, 
moved up the river— those of General Banks by land and 
the division of General Smith on the gun-boat fleet and 
transports. General Smith's command arrived at Grand 
Ecore on the 3d of April without incident; nor had General 
Banks on arriving at that point met the enemy in suflicient 
force to offer much resistance. At Grand Ecore, the troops 
rested for several days, as they had also done at Alexandria. 
The reason for these delays I have been unable to learn ; and it 
may be true, as was at the time asserted, that General Banks, 
by his lazy activity, contributed to his own defeat. Beport, too, 
burdens General Steele with a share of the odium; for he 
should have moved much sooner than he did, and rendered it 
impossible for the enemy to concentrate at long marches from 
Shreveport. But Providence, whose galled back has borne the 
blunders of centuries, was doubtless made the pack-horse of all 
these disasters, for one of these generals was retained in his 
command, and the other acquitted without censure. But we 
can not make history : we can only record it. 

General Banks, with the command he had brought with him 
from the Gulf, marched out from Grand Ecore, on the Mans- 
field and Shreveport road, in the forenoon of the 5th of April, 
and two days later was followed by the division of General 
Smith. On the evening of the 8th instant, General Smith 



480 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

went into camp near Pleasant Hill ; and that night every thing 
was put in readiness for an early and rapid march on the mor- 
row; for, during nearly all that afternoon, he and his troops 
had heard, indistinctly, the reports of artillery at the front. 
Notwithstanding the battle of Sabine Cross Roads was fought 
nearly twenty miles in advance of Pleasant Hill, and closed 
only after dark, yet, before eleven o'clock that night, the 
affrighted stragglers from the front came swarming past Gen- 
eral Smith's encampment. As the night wore on, the confu- 
sion increased ; and before two o'clock the stampede of footmen, 
horsemen and teams was appalling. Long before day-light, 
more than two thousand weak-hearted, terror-stricken men 
had fled to the rear, rehearsing as they rode or ran their stories 
of fearful disasters that had befallen General Banks. 

In the meantime, those troops who had retained their 
organizations had hurried back, and a little after day-light 
had formed a line of battle about one and a half miles west of 
Pleasant Hill. At about ten o'clock of the following morning, 
the 32d Iowa, with its brigade, (which, by the way, had been 
put under arms a little after mid-night,) was ordered to the 
front, to report to General Banks. That officer turned it over 
to General Emery, who, sending it out on the Mansfield road, 
stationed it in the extreme front. Its position was on a small 
rise of ground, and at right angles with the road. In its rear 
was heavy timber, and in its front, open fields, which descended 
to a ravine. Beyond the ravine was timber, in which the 
enemy was already deployed in line of battle. As I have else- 
where stated, the 32d held the extreme left, and on that regi- 
ment's right was the 27th Iowa. The 24th Missouri held the 
right, and between that and the 27th, was the 14th Iowa, 
drawn up across the road. Between the 32d and 27th Iowa, 
was a small ravine, putting down into the one in front, which 



JOHN SCOTT. ^1 

rendered the position of the 82d in a manner isolated. What 
made it still worse for the 82d Iowa was the timber, extending 
nearly up to its left, affording a fine cover for the approach of 
the enemy's flankers. A few yards in front of the 14th Iowa 
was the 25th New York Battery, double-shotted, and rea<ly to 
receive the enemy. I would like to omit its mention ; for, on 
the first dash of the enemy's cavalry, it fled to the rear, break- 
ing through the ranks of the 14th Iowa, and knocking down 
and injuring several men. 

After the line of battle was formed, skirmishers were sent to 
the front, who promptly engaged those of the enemy; and 
thus the day passed till about four o'clock in the afternoon, 
.vhen the enemy's cavalry, galloping from their cover down 
into the ravine, made for the Kew York Battery. But when 
the head of the charging column came up the slope in front, i 
^■as received by a volley from almost the entire brigade. It 
seems hardly possible; but so accurate was the aim that, as was 
afterward learned by wouuded men left in the enemy's Imes, 
only four men of the front company escaped being either k.lled 
or wounded. Following this cavalry charge, came the enemy s 
infimtry, in double line, when the desperate struggle begun. 

To convey to the mind of the reader a true idea- of what 
followed is impossible; but/«cfe can be stated, which is more 
than the penny-a-liners, who first recorded the events of the 
battle, were able to do. Their accounts were dUffu^Ur,!,; for so 
far were they from being correct that they even omitt«i to 
mention tl>e names of the troops that did the ch.ef flghtmg 
while they recorded the names of many that fled at the first 
onset of the enemy. Iowa saved General Banks' army from 
rout and capture, and yet her brave sons, in any a«ount that I 
have seen, were nowhere mentioned. The brigade of the 
irascible Colonel Shaw held the centre of the Union hne of 



482 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

battle — it may be said, constituted that line; for the brigades on 
both its right and left were uot only refused, but thrown many 
yards to the rear ; and as soon as the enemy advanced they 
retired still further. In this position Colonel Shaw's Brigade 
received the enemy's infantry, which came up the slope lead- 
ing to the ravine, in a long, unbroken line. Cheered with the 
recollections of their successes of yesterday, and seeing but a 
handful of men in their front, they came with a shout and at 
double-quick, confident of speedy victory, but their charge 
was repulsed. They charged once, twice, thrice, and were 
each time repulsed with slaughter. Disappointed but still 
determined, they then sought the flanks ; when followed the 
most stubborn and gallant fighting of the day— especially on 
the part of the 32d Iowa. Making a detour through the 
woods to their right, (and they met no opposition, for the 
troops stationed in that quarter had long since retired) the 
enemy's skirmishers suddenly appeared in the rear of the 32d 
Iowa. The situation was most critical. Pressed in front, and 
the enemy closing on its rear, the regiment might have sur- 
rendered with honor ; but Colonel Scott had been ordered to 
hold that position at all hazards, and it was not to be yielded. 
Swinging the left wing of his regiment round hastily to the 
rear, so that it formed an acute angle with the main line of 
battle, he presented 2^ front on all sides to the enemy, and was 
still able to hold his position. 

In the meantime, the 24th Missouri, on the right, was 
flanked, when Colonel Shaw, sending to General Smith for 
reinforcements, received orders to fall back, as the enemy was 
already in his rear; but Colonel Scott, from the isolated position 
of his command and from the fact that the balance of the bri- 
gade had yielded considerable ground, failed to be reached by 
the orderly sent to notify him of the order to retire, and he 



JCHN SCOTT. 483 

was left on the ground he had defended so gaUantly. He was 
now surrounded on all sides by the enemy's lines ; and why he 
with his command was not overwhelmed and captured I can 
not understand. Finally the Union forces rallying drove the 
enemy back to his original line, when Colonel Scott and his 
regiment were found on the ground they had been ordered " to 
hold at all hazards." For more than two hours it had been 
supposed by all that the regiment was captured ; and the sur- 
prise and joy of its friends at finding it again in the Federal 
lines was unbounded. If in the history of the whole war there 
be an instance equal in all respects to the above, I have failed 
to learn it. 

That I have in no way exaggerated the heroic conduct of the 
32d Iowa in this engagement, its list of casualties is evidence. 
The regiment lost in killed and wounded more than one hun- 
dred and sixty, which, excluding the losses of its own brigade, 
exceeded the losses of General Banks' entire army. 3Iore than 
two-thirds of the ^yid Iowa were put out of battle. 

Lieutenant-Colonel Edward H. Mix was killed; and a 
majority of the line officers were either killed or wounded. 
Among those killed were Captain Amos B. Miller, Captain H, 
F. Peebles; Lieutenant Thomas O. Howard and Adjutant 
Charles H. Huntley. Captain Ackerman, and Lieutenants 
Deviue and Wright were severely wounded. 

Among the enlisted men, distinguished for their merit, who 
fell in this engagement, were Sergeants Hull, Goodell and 
Kane; Corporals Ballon, Modlin and Pettibone; Privates 
Anderson, Hoyt, Ilewett, Hutchinson, Wood, and many 
others. 

The night after the engagement. General Banks in council 
with his chief officers declared it impossible for the expedition 
to proceed further, and the next morning begun the memorable 
retreat. It is not so strange that the rebel chiefs, during that 



484 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

same night, came to the conclusion that the result of the day's 
fighting was against them, and that further resistance to the 
advance of the Federal army at that point was useless ; for 
they had been defeated, notwithstanding the lack of energy (I 
can not say spirits) and co-operation on the part of the Federal 
general oflBcers. 

Before day-light on the morning of the 10th of April, both 
armies began to retreat ; and, to facilitate their flight, the Con- 
federates spiked several of their cannon. But they soon 
learned their mistake, and returned, their advance reaching 
the hospitals, in which the Union wounded had been left, at 
about nine o'clock in the morning. From that time until Gen- 
eral Banks reached Simmsport, they remained his master; and 
had it not been for an insignificant lieutenant-colonel who 
rescued the gun-boat fleet and transports they might have 
been his captors; for these he was not allowed to abandon. 

On the return of the Red Biver Expedition, Colonel Scott 
tendered his resignation, which was reluctantly accepted, on 
the 81st of May, 1864. He was impelled to this course, I am 
informed, from the loss of his health in the recent campaign, 
and from the urgent claims of his family, which was broken 
up and in need of a home. He is at present living on his farm 
in Story county, and engaged in sheep-raising and horti- 
culture. 

The following is from the history of the regiment published 

in the Adjutant-General's report for the year 1865: 

" On the 14th of July was attacked by the enemy at Tupelo, 
Mississippi. Repulsed him with a loss to the regiment of four 
men wounded. July 15th, the regiment started back to La 
Grange, and camped at Old Town Creek, where it was 
attacked by the enemy, again repulsing him. Arrived at La 
Grange July 22d and at Memphis on the 24th. Left by rail- 
road for Holly Springs, Mississippi, August 4th, and after 
marching to Waterford, Abbeville, Oxford, and back to 
Holly Springs, arrived at Memphis on the 30th. 



JOHN SCOTT. 485 

"From September 5th to October 4th, the regiment was on 
the move to Jefferson Barracks, De Soto, and other points, 
and from October 2d to the 18th it was constantly marching 
to different points in Missouri. October 25th it left Saint 
Louis, Missouri, on transports for Nashville, Tennessee, and 
on arriving at that point immediately began intrenching. * * 

" The regiment has traveled five thousand five hundred and 
ninety-four miles, two thousand three hundred and thirty-two 
miles of the distance on foot with the army. Its aggregate 
present for duty is three hundred and fifty-nine. Aggregate 
when mustered into service was nine hundred and eleven. 
Has received since muster-in two hundred and seventy-seven 
recruits: lost ninety-three men in battle, one hundred and 
seventy-seven by disease, one hundred and twenty-two dis- 
charged, twenty-nine transferred, and one missing. It is 
armed throughout with good, serviceable Springfield rifled 
muskets and complete accoutrements. Health and condition 
of clothing and camp equipage of the regiment is good." 

Later, the regiment fought at the battles around Nashville, 
and then accompanied Smith to New Orleans, and took 
part in the capture of Mobile. During these operations it 
was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel G. M. Eberhart a 
son of the Rev. S. R. Eberhart formerly chaplain of the 12th 
Iowa Infantry. He is reported a most excellent oificer. 

I have seen many of the "Iowa colonels," and among 
others. Colonel John Scott. This is how it happened. The old 
Gladiator, which was returning me to my regiment at Mem- 
phis, stuck on a sand-bar above Devil's Island; and I put into 
Cape Girardeau for better quarters. On walking up into the 
St. Charles, I saw, perched in a chair in the north-east corner 
of the bar-room, a man that attracted my notice. His chair 
was tipped against the wall, one foot stuck on the front 
stretcher, and the other thrown across the leg thus supported. 
His elbows were resting upon the arms of the chair, his head 
thrown forward, and his hat drawn over his eyes. In the 
small space between his lap and his face was a newspaper, 



486 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

which he was readiug. I thought I never saw a man doubled 
up so before, and walked round to take a better look at him ; 
when, my impudence attracting his attention, he looked up to 
me as much as to say: "Who are you?" A prominent trait in 
his character I read in that glance. 

Colonel Scott is a man of middle size, and compactly built. 
His hair and whiskers are more red than sandy, and his eyes 
gray and sharp. His round, florid features are set off" by a pair 
of gold-mounted spectacles. 

I believe him to be among the ablest and best informed men 
of Iowa; and yet he has that sort of something about him 
which has kept him back. It may be the trait to which I have 
alluded; for he is incorrigibly suspicious, and never gives his 
confidence to a stranger. When I wrote to him for information 
relative to his biography, he replied: "If I can be convinced 
that the book is not to be a aitch-penny affair, I will furnish 
data; " but I could never convince him of that, and for what I 
have I am indebted to one of his friends. One thing is certain, 
Colonel Scott was never intended for a politician; and why, I 
believe, we heard no more of him in the army is, he always 
stayed at his quarters, and minded his own business. I ven- 
ture the assertion that he never asked to be made a brigadier- 
general. Had he less of the negative about him, it would be 
well ; for, with the same honesty, he would be a much more 
popular and useful man in society. 

Colonel Scott's military record is without blemish. He was 
brave, a fair tactician, and a good disciplinarian. 



BRIGADIER-GENERAL SAMUEL ALLEN RICE. 

FIRST COLONEL, THIRTY-THIRD INFANTRY. 

Samuel A. Rice, who received his death-wound at the 
battle of Jenkin's Ferry, is the most distinguished officer our 
gallant State has lost in the War of the Rebellion. Sprung 
from the great middle class, without name or wealth, he had, 
at the age of thirty-five, attained such distinction as to make 
his death a national calamity. 

General Rice was a native of New York, and was born in 
Cattaraugus county of that State, the 27th of January, 1828. 
His boyhood was passed in Belmont county, Ohio, where his 
parents removed when he was young. There he gained a 
common school education. The father died soon after removing 
to Ohio, leaving his fomily in limited circumstances, and his 
son, Samuel, as their chief support. He, accordingly, engaged 
in the boating business on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, 
that promising the amplest remuneration. As a flat-boatman, 
he made one or more trips to New Orleans. 

General Rice was liberally educated; but the expenses of his 
education he had to defray himself. He pursued his prepar- 
atory course at the Athens Academy, Ohio, and in 1844 or 
1845, entered Union College, New York. After graduating 
there, he entered the law department of that University , where 
he studied for one year, and then left for the wild West-for so 
Iowa was regarded, at that day, in the Eastern and Middle 

States. 

The history of General Rice is widely known in our com- 
monwealth; for he was one of our most prominent public men. 



488 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

He first settled in Fairfield, Jefferson county, where he prac- 
ticed his profession, and occasionally assisted in the editorial 
department of the whig newspaper of that place. But in the 
Jail of 1851, he removed to Oskaloosa, at which place his family 
still reside. His first public office was that of prosecuting 
attorney of his county. Naturally excelling as a criminal 
lawyer, he attracted general attention by the able manner in 
which he discharged the duties of his office ; and it was this 
which secured him the nomination in 1856, to the office of 
attorney-general of the State. In 1856, and again in 1858, he 
was elected to the last named office ; and at the close of his last 
term, he had established a reputation that placed his name 
among the foremost lawyers of the State, and, I might add, 
among the foremost of our public men. I do not speak of him 
in extravagant terms. The attention and deference that were 
paid to his arguments before the Supreme Court, would have 
flattered an attorney of the greatest experience, and the most 
extensive practice ; and the influence which he wielded, as a 
leading member of the Republican Party, was recognized by 
all of our most prominent men. 

General Rice entered the United States service in the summer 
of 1862. He would have entered the army sooner; but he 
could not leave his large business without pecuniary sacrifice ; 
and, besides, he did not believe at first that the war would be 
of long duration. He was commissioned colonel of the 33d 
Iowa Infantry, on the 10th day of August, 1862 ; and late in 
November left with his regiment for St. Louis. Early in Feb- 
ruary, 1863, he arrived with his command at Helena, Arkansas, 
the point where was organized the Yazoo Pass Expedition ; 
and the first important services of the 33d Iowa were in clear- 
ing this Pass of obstructions, and opening it for the passage of 
our transports. For nearly three weeks prior to the starting of 



I SAMUEL A. RICE. 489 

I the expedition, the regiment was engaged in tliis fatiguing and 
dangerous work. The history of this expedition is given else- 
where. 

In the long list of battles'that were fought in the South West 
from the 27th of December, 1862, to the 4th of July following, 

1 that of Helena, Arkansas, ranks high in point of importance, 
not simply because Helena with all its government property 
was saved from capture ; but because the spirit of our troops 
caused the rebels, on the west side of the Mississippi, to de- 
spair of ever re-possessing their lost country. Colonel Rice had 
met the enemy before in skirmishes, but the engagement at 
Helena was his first battle. Here his brigade saved the place 
from capture, and his gallantry and soldierly skill made him a 
brigadier-general. The names of his troops deserve special 
mention : the 33d Iowa and 33d Missouri, who most distin- 
guished themselves and suffered most severely, engaged the 
enemy at batteries C and D, near the Little Rock Road : the 
29th and 36th Iowa regiments would have done as well and 
suffered as severely, but they were stationed on the hills to the 
right, near batteries A and B, and were not so severely engaged. 
The main attack of the enemy was made on the Little Rock 
road, where they staked every thing on forcing an entrance. 
They captured battery C, and so far succeeded ; but the raking 
fire they received from the other batteries, and from the infan- 
try and Fort Curtis, soon forced them to abandon their dearly- 
won prize. Our pickets were driven in at half past three in 
the morning, and the fight lasted till nearly 11 A. M., when 
the enemy retired precipitately. I have said his command 
saved Helena from capture ; and I may add that his casualties 
amounted to more than half the entire Union loss. It should 
be stated that two regiments of his command — the 33d Iowa 
and 33d Missouri — were, during the engagement, under the 
more immediate command of General Solomon. 



490 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

In August, 1863, Colonel Rice was appointed a brigadier- 
general. He had saved General Prentiss and his command 
from defeat as a colonel ; as a brigadier-general, he saved 
General Steele's army and train from capture at Jenkin's 
Ferry, on the Saline River ; and, had he survived the injury 
he received in that engagement, he would, doubtless, have 
been made a major-general. 

In General Steele's march against Little Rock, which left 
Helena on the 10th of August, 1863, General Rice commanded 
a division, and it was on this march that he received his 
appointment as brigadier-general. No great battles were 
fought on this expedition, and no oportunities offered for 
special distinction. With others he is entitled to equal credit 
for the success of our arms. 

General Rice's coolness and bravery, and his ability as an 
officer were best illustrated in General Steele's Campaign into 
South Western Arkansas, which resulted disastrously to our 
arms, and gave new hope to the rebels. Here he held only a 
brigade command. Had he commanded the expedition, some 
have thought the result would have been different ; but this is 
unjust to General Steele. The loss of a brigade and wagon- 
train at Mark's Mills might have been avoided ; but, consid- 
ering the difficulties under which General Steele labored, no 
one could have hoped for entire success. That the chief credit 
which attaches to this movement or rather to the battle at 
Jenkins' Ferry, belonged to General Rice, no one will dispute. 

The expedition in question left Little Rock on the 23d of 
March, 1864. Between that point and Camden, the enemy 
were met at Terra Noir Creek, Elkin's Ford, Prairie de Anne, 
and six miles north-west of Camden. The sharpest of these 
engagements was that at Elkin's Ford, on the Little Missouri 
River. Colonel Rice, though not in command of the forces 



SAMUEL A. RICE. 491 

engaged, received a scalp-wound, while riding to the front. 
But the great battle of the campaign was fought at Jenkins' 
Ferry, on the morning of the 30th of April, 1864. 

On the evening of the 29th of April, the expedition had 
reached the Saline Biver, on its return to little Rock. That 
same evening. General Steele's rear-guard had been attacked 
by the enemy, under Price and Kirby Smith ; and it was prob- 
able that on the following morning he would have to give 
them battle; for a pontoon-bridge must be constructed on 
which to cross, and the difficulties to be overcome were well- 
nigh insurmountable: these, however, have been spoken of 
elsewhere. 

That night was stormy and dismal, and will be long remem- 
bered by Steele's old command. The floods of falling rain had 
swollen the Saline to the top of its banks, and covered the low 
bottom-lands bordering the river with water. But few slept 
that night: in front was a swollen river; in the rear a confident 
enemy, and under foot mud and water half-leg deep. Some 
collected piles of brush to rest on, and others passed the night 
on stumps and old logs. Day-light was longed for ; and yet it 
promised little, for all believed it w^ould be ushered in by an 
attack of the enemy. Some were cheerful, and cracked their 
jokes; but the great majority pulled their ponchos or blankets 
tightly about them, and remained quiet: they were thinking 
of their homes and friends, and of the comforts they had 
exchanged for these hardships. 

But morning came at last, and with it the opening battle. 
Already General Rice's command was in line to engage the 
enemy, should he advance, and to defend the crossing : they 
were engaged promptly. The troops of his command, who 
met the first shock of battle, were the 29th Iowa on the right, 
the 50th Indiana in the centre, and the 33d Iowa on the left. Of 



492 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

the position of tlie otlier two infantry regiments of his com- 
mand (the 9th and the 28th Wisconsin) at the opening of the 
fight, I am unadvised. His battery (Captain Voglies') had 
been sent over the river. The enemy— four to one in the first 
onset — advanced fairly and squarely, confident of easy victory; 
but they were repulsed. And not only in this, but in each 
renewed assault were they repulsed; till finally, near noon, 
they withdrew and left our forces in possession of the field. At 
about two o'clock, the last of our infantry forces crossed the 
river; and after destroying the pontoon-bridge, resumed, 
unmolested, their march to Little Rock. We lost in this 
engagement about eight hundred men. The enemy lost, 
according to his own estimate, nine hundred and fifty ; but it 
is known that his loss was greater. 

That was a most gloomy hour for the Federal cause in 
Arkansas, and the enemy were every where jubilant over the 
"prospects of peace and independence." They boasted that 
Steele's army was defeated and disheartened, and that, if it 
escaped at all, it would do so as a disorganized rabble. They 
never seemed to doubt that Steele would be compelled to aban- 
don Little Rock, and that the entire State of Arkansas would 
pass again under Confederate rule. They moved north and 
blockaded the Arkansas River, and threatened seriously the 
Little Rock Railroad. The Government became alarmed, and 
sent nearly two divisions from New Orleans to Steele's assist- 
ance. Indeed, for many months the post of Little Rock was 
little better than in a state of siege; and it was only after 
Price's reverses in Missouri that the hopes of the Federal cause 
in Arkansas again rose in the ascendant. But to return. 

In the enemy's last charge, and as General Rice was riding 
down his left wing, he received the wound which resulted in 
his death. He was shot by a musket-ball "through the right 



SAMUEL A. RICE. 493 

foot, the ball passing under the instep, just in front of the ankle, 
and driving the buckle of the spur before it." 

He left Little Rock for his home in Iowa, on the 18th 
day of May. For a considerable time after reaching his home, 
it was supposed he was convalescing ; but, (I quote from the 
Oskaloosa " Herald") " the virus of his wound had permeated 
ihis whole system, poisoning the vital fluids, and putting his 
jcase beyond the reach of human aid." He died on the 6th day 
of August, 1864. 

The night before the general's death. Judge Loughridge, of 
Oskaloosa, his warm and tried friend, watched by his bed-side 
jto assist in answering his wants, and to offer consolation to the 
grief-stricken family. His pain seemed to be intense, making 
the night drag heavily, and, as he turned restlessly in his bed, 
the judge inquired: "General, how do you feel now? Are you 
willing to die?" Looking up, and his eyes brightening, he 
replied: "I am ready. 'Though I walk through the valley of 
I the shadow of death. He is with me. His rod and His staff, 
they comfort me.' " 

Four years before, he had said, while pronouncing an eulogy 
upon our lamented Judge Stockton : 

j "We can but feel and realize that, like the deceased, we too 
I must undergo that great change, allotted to all living. When 
that change shall come; when the shadows of the last night 
shall gather around us, may we meet it like one that draws the 
drapery of his couch about him, and lies down to pleasant 
dreams." 

His prayer was realized. He died in the full possession of 
his mental faculties, and with the hopes of a Christian. 

My admiration of the character of this noble man, I am 
unable to express. Few as able and deserving as he have 
been sacrificed to the Moloch of Slavery. One who served 
long with him in the army writes thus of him : 



494 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

"But above all, and overall stands the name of one, whom 
Iowa will be proud to own — General Samuel A. Kice. I 
have never yet seen his equal, either on the field, or in the 
camp. * * All admit that his brigade saved the army from 
defeat and consequent destruction, at the battle of Jenkins' 
Ferry." 

Testimonials of his worth meet me on every hand, to which, 
I regret, I am unable to give place. His old division has 
contributed funds for the erection of a monument to his 
memory; but his "good name will live, when monuments of 
brass and stone shall have crumbled to dust." 

The proceedings of the Supreme Court at Des Moines, on 
learning of his death, I must briefly allude to. Hon. C. C. 
Nourse, the general's successor, as Attorney-General of Iowa, 
Hon. Thomas F. Withrow, and Hon. Chief Justice Wright 
offered touching eulogies to his memory. In the course of his 
remarks, our honored Chief Justice said : 

"I parted with him in May, as he was nearing his home, 
with his family and friends around him : he was reclining on 
what proved to be his death-bed. I shall ever remember his 
face, and the sparkling expression of his flashing eyes, as, 
taking me by the hand, he said : ' I shall not die : I know 
that I shall live — I shall live to return to the field, and assist 
in crushing this most accursed rebellion.' These hopes — these 
high resolves were doomed to disappointment." 

After tlie addresses were closed, the following preamble and 
resolutions were entered of record : 

"Whereas, General Samuel A. Rice, formerly a member of 
the bar of this Court, and for four years Attorney-General of 
the State, died at his home in Oskaloosa on the 6th day of 
July, 1864, from a wound received in battle at Saline River 
on the 30th day of April, 1864, and whereas, the high standing 
of the deceased as a member of the profession, as well as his 
exalted patriotism and many personal virtues, demand a 
special notice of his memory upon our part ; Therefore, be it 

'■'■ Besolved, By the members of the bar now in attendance 
upon the Supreme Court: 



SAMUEL A. RICE. 495 

1. "That we deeply deplore this dispensation of Divine 
Providence, in thus removing from our midst one who 
adorned his profession, and endeared himself to us by his 

! uniform courtesy and upright conduct. 

j 2. "That by his death a brave and true soldier and officer 
has fallen in defense of his Government, a kind father and true 
husband has been lost to his family, a valued citizen has been 
lost to the State, and an honored and able advocate has been 
lost to the profession. 

3. " That we will cherish in affectionate remembrance his 
many virtues, and request the members of the bar to wear the 
usual badge of mourning during the term. 

4. "That we tender to the bereaved family our sincere 
testimony of the worth of the deceased, and assure them of 

; our sympathy and condolence in their affliction. 

5. "That the court be requested to have these proceedings 
and resolutions spread upon the records of the court, and to fur- 
nish a certified copy of the same to the family of the deceased. 

" Committee. — Jefferson F. Polk, H, S. Winslow, William 

H. Seevers, C. C. Nourse." 
I first met General Rice in the spring of 1857, at the Oska- 
I loosa bar. Then, he had just been elected Attorney-General of 
I the State ; and I scanned him closelj^ He was, at the time, 
I arguing a case with Judge Seevers ; and Governor Stone was 
i sitting upon the bench. He was dressed poorly; was unsha- 
I ven, and looked to me to be below the medium in size. I 

thought we never elected such men to like positions in New 
I England. Three years later, I saw him again; when he 

looked more like himself— an able and polished gentleman. 

The portrait here published is not a perfect likeness, though 

the mild, intelligent expression of the eye is correct. 
General Rice was not a man of brilliant parts. He had a 
i large brain and a sound judgment; and hard study did the 
' rest. He was an able reasoner. His cast of mind was more 

practical than theoretical; for instance: on one occasion, two 
i applicants for admission to the bar presented themselves in the 

Oskaloosa Court. It was Governor Stone's first term upon the 



496 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

bench. Judges Loughridge and Seevers and General Rice,, 
having been appointed by the court the examining committee, 
the hitter approached the young men, and, taking one of them 
by the hand, said: "Gentlemen, you look as though you 
could practice law ; if you can not, you will get no business, 
and if you can, all right. I will vouch for you." 

The general was kind-hearted and unassuming. I never 
saw him without a smile upon his face, and no one could be 
embarrassed in his presence. Few promised him the success 
he met in the service. He was as successful with the sword, 
as he had been in his civil profession. He was a noble exem- 
plar of our Free State Chivalry. 



COLONEL CYRUS H. MACKEY. 

SECOND COLONEL, THIRTY-THIRD INFANTRY. 

Cyrus H. Mackey is twenty-eight years of age, and a native 
of Illinois. He is a lawyer by profession, and, at the time of 
entering the service, was a resident of Sigourney, Keokuk 
county, Iowa. He was made lieutenant-colonel of the 33d 
Iowa Infantry the 10th of August, 1862, and served with that 
rank till the 18th of August, 18G3, when he was commissioned 
colonel of his regiment. He was not however mustered to 
that rank till the 22d of April, 1864. The 33d Iowa has been 
under his command a chief portion of the time since entering 
the field; for Colonel, afterward General Rice was in command 
of the brigade to which the regiment was attached. 

To give in detail the operations in which the 33d Iowa has 
taken part can not be done with interest ; for they are recorded 
elsewhore in these pages. From the time of entering the field 
to the present, the 29th and 33d Iowa regiments have served 
together, and the history of one regiment is nearly the same 
as that of the other. It accompanied the White River and 
Yazoo Pass Expeditions, and marched with General Steele on 
the Little Rock and Camden Campaign. The regiment most 
distinguished itself at the battles of Helena and Saline River, 
or Jenkins' Ferry, the former fought on the 4th of July, 1863, 
and the latter on the morning of the 30th of April, 1864. 

The following is from Lieutenant-Colonel Mackey's ofiicial 
report concerning the battle at Helena : 

"The men, after having been constantly engaged for six 
hours, were very much exhausted. From eighty to one hun- 
dred rounds of ammunition had been expended to the man. 

32 497 



498 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

The loss of my own regiment was : killed on the field, seven- 
teen; wounded, fifty-two; taken prisoners, seventeen. Three 
men were taken at Battery C. Eight of the wounded have since 
died from their wounds. I went into the engagement with 
five hundred men. The ofiicers and men of the entire com- 
mand behaved themselves splendidly. The force we had to 
contend with was at least five to one, and I feel perfectly safe 
in saying that the regiment took as many prisoners as we had 
men in action. They all did so well that it is a difficult matter 
for me to attempt to particularize who did best. 

" I take particular pleasure in mentioning the names of 
Major H. D. Gibson, Captain John P. Yerger, Captain John 
Lofland, Lieutenant Cheney Prouty, and Captain L. W. Whip- 
ple. The manner in which these officers conducted themselves 
is deserving of the highest praise. 

"I would also call your attention to the good conduct of 2d 
IJeutenaut Sharman, of Company G, who had command of 
the picket-guard. He succeeded in holding the enemy in check 
until we were fully prepared to receive them, brought his 
guard all off except a number tliat were killed and wounded 
in good order, and joined the regiment. He was wounded in 
the head very severely, but I think not dangerously." 

For the part taken by the 33d Iowa on the Camden march 
and in the different skirmishes and actions in which it was 
engaged, I refer to the reports of its commanding officers. 
From the time Steele left Little Rock till after his arrival at 
Camden, the regiment was commanded by Major H. D. Gib- 
son, and the following is from his official report: 

"Prior to the arrival of our forces at Prairie de Anne, the 
part taken in any engagement by my regiment was entirely 
unimportant. On arriving at Prairie de Anne, I was ordered 
to form line of battle and move to the left of the 50th Indiana, 
which was done. I was then ordered to form column by divis- 
ion, and in that order I moved forward on to the prairie. 
While crossing a slough in the timber joining the prairie, a 
shell from the enemy's gun exploded near the regiment, killing 
one man and breaking several guns. On reaching the open 
ground, I again deployed, sending forward two companies as 
skirmishers, with instructions to move steadily forward, which 



CYRUS H. MACKEY. 499 

' they did, driving the enemy before them, tlie regiment moving 
to their support. In this order I moved forward till the regi- 
ment rested where the enemy's artillery first opened fire. It 
j then being dark, the skirmishers were ordered to rest in place, 
! and the regiment retired two hundred yards to unexposed 
j grounds and bivouacked. At 11 o'clock P. M. the enemy 
dashed upon the skirmish line, but was repulsed without injury 
to us. The transactions of the following day are unimportant, 
i On the morning of the 13th of April, we moved, in connection 
I with the entire forces, through and to the west of Prairie de 
'< Anne, our skirmishers steadily driving the enemy before tliem . 
On approaching their works on the Camden and Washington 
road, the enemy hastily withdrew. From that time till the 
morning of the loth, nothing worthy of note transpired. 

" On the loth day of April, my regiment led the advance of 
the infantry. Two companies were deployed as skirmishers on 
either side of the road, and, having moved forward two miles, 
were fired upon by the enemy. The skirmishers moved for- 
ward, driving them, assisted by a howitzer, until they came 
within range of the enemy's artillery, which was opened upon 
us, wounding four men. My regiment supported the 2d Mis- 
souri Battery on the right. Having taken this position, I sent 
forward three sharp-shooters from each company to assist the 
skirmishers, and annoy the enemy's gunners. After an 
engagement of two hours the enemy withdrew from his posi- 
tion, after which the march was resumed. At about two miles 
distant, we were again fired on ; and while awaiting orders a 
shell from the enemy's guns burst near my regiment, danger- 
ously wounding one man. A sharp skirmish was kept up for 
two and a half miles, when the enemy withdrew from our 
front. Our entire loss in killed and wounded, when we reached 
Camden, amounted to one killed, and four wounded." 

Colonel Mackey reached Camden on the 19th of April, and 
assumed command of his regiment. The following is from 
his official report concerning the part taken by his regiment in 
the return to Little Rock. 

"Nothing of particular interest took place from the time of 
the evacuation of Camden until my arrival at Saline River. 
On the evening of the 29th, at 6 J o'clock P. M., I was ordered 
to the rear on the Camden road to support Colonel Ingleman's 



500 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

BVigade, an attack being anticipated during the night. I 
stood at arms during the entire night, the enemy making 
no particular demonstration, although in speaking-distance. 
Night very dark and raining most of the time. 

" About 4 o'clock A. M. on the 30th, I received orders that, 
as soon as the 43d Illinois Infantry on my left was withdrawn, 
I should retire about three-fourths of a mile toward the river, 
and take position covering the passage of the troops while 
crossing. This movement I executed without being discovered 
by the enemy. This position I occupied half an hour when 
the enemy made his appearance. The skirmishers imnaedi- 
ately engaged them, holding them in check for half an hour. 
When I was relieved by the 27th AVisconsin Infantry, I 
marched my command to a new position, one mile in the 
direction of the crossing. In twenty minutes the engagement 
became general, and I was ordered to the support of the 50th 
Indiana Infantry on the left. From this time until the close 
of the battle, the regiment was almost continually engaged. 

" As to the conduct of both officers and men of my command, 
I cannot speak in terms too high. To attempt distinction 
would be injustice to my command, as all did their duty nobly. 
A short time before the close of the action I received a wound 
in my right arm, which compelled me to quit the field, the 
command of the regiment devolving upon Captain Boydston, 
Company A, who, at the close of the engagement, marched 
the regiment off in good order." 

In the desperate engagement at Jenkins' Ferry, the loss of 
the 33d was severe. Eight enlisted men were killed, and six 
ofiicers and ninety-seven enlisted men wounded. There were 
also twelve missing; making the total loss of the regiment 
one hundred and twenty-three. The commissioned officers 
wounded were Colonel Mackey, Captains Comstock and Tot- 
ten, and Lieutenants Conner, De Garmo and Kindig. Captain 
P. T. Totten and Lieutenant T. R. Conner were both mortally 
wounded. The former was shot through the thigh, and the 
latter through the neck. The subsequent history of the 33d is 
nearly the same as that of the 29th Iowa. 



BREVET BRIGADIER-GENERAL G. W. CLARK. 

COLONEL, THIRTY-FOURTH INFANTRY. 

George Washington Clark, the original colonel of the 
84th Iowa Infantry, is a native of Johnson county, Indiana, 
and was born on the 2Gth day of December, 1833. He was 
educated at Wabash College, Indiana, and resided with his 
father's family at the place of his nativity till the year 1856, 
which is all that I know of his early history. In the spring of 
1856 he removed to Iowa, and became a resident of Indianola, 
Warren county, where he has since made his home. He is a 
lawyer by profession. Subsequently to his removal to Iowa, 
and prior to the spring of 1861, when he entered the service, 
he practiced his profession in Warren county. He was, I am 
told, a successful lawyer, and had, at the time of entering the 
service, a paying practice. 

At the outbreak of the war, General Clark was the first man 
in Warren county to enroll himself a volunteer. In May, 1861, 
he assisted in raising Company G, of the 3d Iowa Infantry, 
which was the first company that went out from Warren 
county. He was commissioned a first lieutenant, and, on the 
organization of his regiment, was appointed regimental quar- 
ter-master, which position he held till the first of September, 
1862, when he was commissioned colonel of the 31th Iowa 
Infantry. For meritorious services, he was, in the spring of 
1865, made a brevet brigadier-general. 

Up to the time of the capture of Arkansas Post, the history 

of the 31th Iowa is not very dissimilar from those of the 25th, 

26th, 30th and 31st Iowa Infantry regiments. Late in the fall 

of 1862, these regiments had all, under orders, arrived at 

501 



602 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

Helena, Arkansas, at which point General Grant was concen- 
trating troops preparatory to malving a descent on Vicksburg 
by way of Chickasaw Bayou. The expedition, which started 
late in December, under command of General Sherman, was a 
failure; but through no fault of the troops; for, during the 
three days' struggle in the brush and swamps that border 
Chickasaw Bayou, soldiers never fought better. The fact is. 
General Sherman did not succeed, simply because the obstacles 
to be overcome at that point were insurmountable. Had 
General Grant maintained his line of communication, and 
threatened Vicksburg from the east, the result would doubtless 
have been different ; for he would have drawn a large portion 
of the rebel army out from the Walnut Hills. 

Immediately after the unfortunate operations at Chickasaw 
Bayou, the Arkansas River Expedition was organized, which 
terminated in the capture of Arkansas Post. This brilliant 
affair was accomplished on the 11th of January, 1863, and par- 
tially atoned for previous disasters. The capture of these 
formidable works, in which the 34th Iowa took a prominent 
part, was a great disaster to the enemy in Southern Arkansas, 
and disconcerted him in his previously arranged plans of har- 
assing the flank and rear of General Grant in his operations 
against Vicksburg. The following is from Colonel Clark's 
official report of the part his regiment took in the capture of 
this strong-hold : 

"We had just returned from the bloody battle-field of Chick- 
asaw Bayou, where we had been repulsed with terrible slaugh- 
ter. Sherman's entire fleet came out of the Yazoo River on 
the 3d of January, and on the 9th steamed up the Arkansas 
River, to operate as'ainst Arkansas Post, arriving near there 
the same day. The following day was occupied in reconnoiter- 
ing and skirmishing. Our (Steele's) Division marched all that 
night through the woods and swamps, through which it was 
impossible to take baggage-wagons or ambulances. At day- 



GEORGE W. CLARK. 503 

light the next morning we found ourselves within range of the 
enemy's guns, from which he immediately opened on us. Our 
batteries were soon put in position, and commenced a vigorous 
reply. The artillery continued until about 12 o'clock M. At 
this time I received an order from General Steele to move my 
regiment rapidly to the front, which was promptly obeyed. I 
moved the regiment forward in line of battle, to a point within 
one hundred and fifty yards of the enemy's intrenchments." 

This position was held till the place surrendered, and during 
this part of the action the gallant Captain Dan H. Lyons fell. 

During the three weeks that followed the capture of Arkan- 
sas Post, the 84th Iowa saw their hardest service. After the 
capitulation. Colonel Clark was detailed with his regiment to 
escort the captured prisoners from that point to Camp Douglas ; 
and, on the way, both the prisoners and their escort suffered 
untold hardships. Only three miserable transports were 
allowed the colonel, in which to convey his own command and 
the prisoners ( numbering between five and six thousand ) 
from the point of capture to St. Louis. It was mid- Winter, and 
on the trip the small-pox broke out. The boats were so densely 
crowded that they could not be policed, and became shockingly 
filthy ; and in this accumulation of filth this loathsome disease 
was raging, adding each half-hour one to the list of mortality. 
The scene was most wretched and revolting. In writing to a 
friend Colonel Clark said: "During those two weeks, I wit- 
nessed more human suffering, than I had seen in all my life 
before." 

On returning from Chicago to St. Louis, Colonel Clark was 
ordered with his regiment, in the early part of April, to Pilot 
Knob, to anticipate the reported movement of General Mar- 
maduke on that place. For two months after, he commanded 
the Post and District of Pilot Knob and then joined the com- 
mand of General Herron, which was en route for Vicksburg. 
General Herron arrived at Vicksburg on the 11th of June ; and 



504 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

was assigned a position on the extreme left of General Grant's 
army. The 1st Brigade of his Division, to which the 34th 
Iowa belonged, was stationed near the Mississippi, which posi- 
tion it held till the surrender of the city. 

On the morning of the 11th of July, General Herron's Divis- 
ion was embarked on transports, with orders to report to 
General Banks, at Port Hudson ; but news now arriving of the 
surrender of that place, these troops sailed up the Yazoo River, 
constituting the force which captured Yazoo City, and subse- 
quently marched out across the Big Black River, to Canton, 
to make a diversion in favor of General Sherman before Jack- 
son. These operations closed, Colonel Clark sailed with his 
regiment down the Mississippi River ; since which time he has 
served in the Gulf Department and the trans-Mississippi. 

During the latter part of the fall of 1863, and through the 
following Winter, the history of the 34th Iowa savors some- 
what of romance. Stationed at Fort Esperanga on Matagorda 
Island, which lies at the head of the Gulf of Mexico, and at 
the mouth of the Guadeloupe River, the men, when off duty, 
passed their time in wandering on the beach, and gathering 
curious shells. They even talked of associating Ceres and 
Flora, as consorts with their patron war-god. Mars. But 
these scenes closed on the opening of the Spring Campaign 
under Major-General Banks. 

The troops, who joined in the Red River Campaign, have 
never had full credit for their heroic endurance of the perils 
and hardships they encountered, which may be attributable to 
the fact that, the campaign was only fruitful of disaster. 

In the battles that were fought near Alexandria, the 34th 
Iowa took an active part, and sustained itself with credit ; but 
the sufferings of the regiment in these battles and in the early 
part of the campaign, were not to be compared with those 
experienced on the memorable nine days' retreat to Simmsport 



GEORGE W. CLARK. 505 

and Morganzia. During these nine days and nights, there 
were no halts for rest and sleep, or only such as were required 
for repairing the roads, and constructing pontoons. 

On the 28th of May, 1864, the 34th Iowa left Morganzia for 
Baton Kouge, where it remained till the latter part of July, 
when it sailed with the command of General Granger against 
the rebel forts at the mouth of Mobile Bay. The operations of 
Bear-Admiral Farragut and General Granger against Forts 
Powell, Gaines and Morgan were brief and brilliant; and the 
troops who joined in these operations may well feel proud of 
their achievements. On the 2d of August, 1864, General Gran- 
ger effected a landing on Dauphin Island, and within twenty- 
one days from that time, each one of these forts was in the 
possession of our forces. The 34th Iowa was the first regiment 
to disembark on the west point of Dauphin Island. It was 
soon joined by the 96th Ohio, and a colored regiment; when 
the entire force, under command of Colonel Clark, with skir- 
mishers well advanced and extending from shore to shore, 
marched forward in the direction of Fort Gaines. The night 
was dark and stormy, and an east wind beat a drenching rain 
directly in the faces of the troops. To any but soldiers, the 
occasion would have been dismal; but these brave fellows, 
trudging on through the mud and rain, were jocose and merry. 
Colonel Clark advanced about six miles, and to within two 
miles of the fort, when he halted and rested his command in 
line of battle. At day-light he was joined by the 67th Indiana, 
the 77th Illinois and the 3d Maryland; when, after slight 
demonstrations, the fort surrendered. 

In the reduction of Fort Morgan Colonel Clark with his 
command also took a conspicuous part ; and on its capitula- 
tion, on the morning of the 23d of August, led the escort, 
composed of his own regiment and the 20th Wisconsin, which 



506 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

was marched out to receive the garrison as prisoners of war. 
Subsequently to February, 18G4, he has commanded a brigade. 
With tliis command, he distinguished himself at the battle of 
Middle Bayou, and was highly complimented for his coolness 
and bravery. 

The Fall and Winter following the operations at the mouth ij 
of Mobile Baj' were passed by the ;34th Iowa on the Gulf coast 
and along tlie Mississippi. In Januarj^ 1805, the regiment was 
consolidated with the 38th Iowa Infantry, and under the new 
organization retained its old name and colonel. 

For many months, the 34th Io^^'a was stationed at Barrancas, 
Florida: from that point, it marched with General Steele 
against ]Mobile, and took part in the assault and capture of 
Fort Blakely. 

General Clark is a little above six feet in hight, and has a 
fine, well-developed form. He is a fine looking man, though, 
when I saw him, he was a little too fleshy ; but at that time he 
Wiis Jusf from his home, and on the way to re-join his regiment. 

General Clark is a man of gentlemanly deportment, and, I 
am told, has good ability, and much shrewdness. He has a 
good military record. One who has visited all the Iowa troops 
in the Gulf Department, speaks thus of him: "Colonel Clark 
stands high, and, with the officers in general, seeks not only the 
highest military efficiency, but also a good moral character for 
his regiment." The general took great pride in the drill and 
discipline of his old regiment. His regiment were proud of 
theirname, and designated themselves the "star regiment." 

In politics, General Clark is a Republican; though, I am 
told, he was never a political aspirant. 



i' 



COLONEL SYLVESTER G. HILL. 

THIRTY-FIFTH INFANTRY. 

The late Colonel S. G. Hill was a native of Washington 
county, Rhode Island, where he was born on the 10th day of 
June, 1820. His education, which wiis academic, was received 
at the old and popular institution at Greenwich, Rhode Island. 
Leaving Rhode Island in 1840, he removed to Cincinnati, Ohio, 
where he remained till 1849. A chief portion of this time he 
was engaged in the lumber business. In 1849 he removed to 
California; but being disappointed in the country and in its 
business prospects, he returned to the States in the following 
year, and soon after settled in jNIuscatine, Iowa. In Muscatine 
he resumed his former business. He was engaged in the 
lumber trade in the summer of 1862, just before entering the 
service. 

In July, 1SG2, Colonel Hill recruited a company of infantry, 
of which he was elected captain, and which, in the following 
August, was assigned to the 35th Iowa Infantry. On the 10th 
of August he was promoted to the colonelcy of that regiment. 

I can not with interest give a detailed history of the 35th 
Iowa; for the majority of movements in which it took part 
have been already given. During the winter of 1862-3, it served 
at Cairo and Columbus, and at other points on the Mississippi, 
and in the following Spring joined General Sherman at Milli- 
ken's Bend. The march to the rear of Vicksburg, and the 
investment and capture of the place; Sherman's return march 
to Jackson; and McPherson's Expedition through Clinton to 
Brownsville, late in October of the same year, have all been 

given, and in all these the 35th Iowa joined. 

507 



508 IOWA COLOXELS AND KEGIMENTS. 

On the close of the last named expedition, Colonel Hill 
marched with his regiment to Vicksburg, whence he proceeded 
by boat to Memphis. From Memphis his regiment left for 
La Grange, Tennessee, where it went into Winter-quarters. 
Its history will be better understood if I state that during all 
these operations, and up to the time General Sherman made 
his celebrated raid through Missisrippi to Meridian, the regi- 
ment was attached to the division of General J. M. Tuttle. 

After Sherman's return from Meridian, the 35th Iowa was 
attached to the command of A. J. Smith, and left under that 
general for the mouth of Red River. Its subsequent history 
will be found in the brilliant operations of the 16th Army Corps. 
The part taken by General A. J. Smith's troops in Bank's 
disastrous Red River Campaign ; their operations against Forest 
in Tennessee, and Price in Missouri, have been detailed else- 
where. I therefore enter upon an account of the brilliant 
operations which in December 1864 overwhelmed the army of 
General Hood in defeat and rout at Nashville. 

Before however giving a history of these brilliant move- 
ments, I should state that in the retreat from Alexandria, 
Lousiana, the 35th Iowa suflfered severely. It was in this part 
of the luckless campaign that the regiment lost its noble major. 
Major Abraham John, if I mistake not, is the only officer of 
that rank from Iowa, who has been killed in battle. In the 
Red River Campaign Captain Henry Blanck, of the 36th Iowa 
was killed, and Captain William Dill wounded. 

In giving General Hood's march on Nashville, I quote from 
the official report of Major-General George H. Thomas. 

"Pending these operations in Tennessee, [the raid of Forest 
into the State, and his expulsion by the Federal troops] the 
whole aspect of affiiirs about Atlanta, had undergone a change. 
Hood had crossed the Chattahoochie River, and had sent one 
corps of his army to destroy the railroad between Allatoona 
and Marietta, which he had effectually accomplished for a 



SYLVESTER G. HILL. 609 

distance of over twenty miles, interrupting all communication 
between the forces in Tennessee, and the main army with 
General Sherman in Georgia. He then moved round south 
of Rome, to the west side of the Coosa River, and, taking a 
north-westerly course, marched toward Summerville and La 
Fayette, threatening Chattanooga and Bridgeport. * * 
On the 12th instant, [October] the enemy's cavalry attacked 
Resaca. * * On the 13th, one corps of Hood's army 
appeared in front of Dalton, and a summons to surrender, 
signed by Hood in person, was sent in to Colonel Johnson. * * 
After remaining at Dalton one day, during which he destroyed 
about five miles of railroad, the enemy moved off to the west- 
wai'd, through Nick-a-jack Gap, to re-join the remainder of 
Hood's army near Summerville, to which point he had been 
followed by Sherman, with the 4th, 14th, 15th and 17th Corps, 
the 20th having been left behind at Atlanta, to hold the place. 

* * On the 21st Instant, the enemy was at Gadsden, Ala- 
bama, while Sherman's forces were at Gaylesville, both armies 
remaining inactive and watchful of the other's movements." 

At the last named point, Sherman quit pursuit, and suffered 
Hood to go on and beat his brains out at Nashville, while Jie 
turned about, and walked through to the Atlantic Slope. 

" On the 16th instant, the enemy's infantry made its appear- 
ance in strong force in front of Decatur, Alabama, and during 
the afternoon attacked the garrison, but not vigorously, and 
without effect. * * * On the 29th, General Granger reported 
the enemy in his front, to be withdrawing from Decatur 
toward Courtland. The same day, General Croxton, com- 
manding a brigade of cavalry picketing the north bank of the 
river, reported the enemy crossing at the mouth of Cypress 
Creek, two miles below Florence. * * Hood's plans had 
now become evident, and from information gained through 
prisoners, deserters, and from other sources, his intention was 
to cross into Middle Tennessee." 

Hood's march from the Tennessee to Nashville, will be 
found elsewhere. During the march, he fought the terrible 
battle of Franklin, where he lost more than six thousand men 
in killed, wounded and captured, among whom were thirteen 
general officers. Thomas fell back to Nashville, where, on the 



510 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

1st of December, he formed line of battle on the bights sur- 
rounding the city, and awaited Hood's approach. General A. 
J. Smith's command, (to which, as I have already said the 85th 
Iowa was attached) had already arrived from Missouri, and 
now Thomas' line of battle before Nashville was as follows : 
Smith held the right, Wood, commanding the 4th Corps, the 
centre, and Schofield the left. In this position the Federal 
army rested, ice-bound, until the morning of the 15th instant; 
and during those two weeks, the dispirited rebels suffered most 
intensely from cold and hunger. They had been promised 
much plunder and little fighting; and there they stood shiver- 
ing over their lazy, smoking camp-fires, staring destruction in 
the face. They could see the promised city, with its inviting 
shelter and comforts, but, like one of old, they could not enter. 

By special order No. 342 the battle was to be opened at the 
earliest day the condition of the weather would admit and 
thai day proved to be the loth of December. In the morning 
of that day the weather was moderate, a circumstance which 
contributed not a little to the Federal successes ; for a dense fog 
arose which only lifted toward noon. Under cover of this fog, 
Thomas advanced to the attack. Smith, who still held the 
right, marched out on the right of the Harding pike and struck 
and doubled back the enemy's left flank. On Smith's right 
were the cavalry who, dismounted, joined in the general 
advance ; and these were the opening successes. 

For the part taken by the 12th and 35th Iowa in the first 
day's battle (these troops were of the same brigade) I refer to 
the official report of Lieutenant-Colonel J. II. Stibbs of the 
former regiment. 

"At about ten o'clock, the order to advance being given, our 
skirmishers pushed rapidly forward, and found a considerable 
force of the enemy, who were easily driven back. Our main 
line advanced steadily, and without opposition, constantly 



SYLVESTER G. HILL. 511 

changing our point of direction toward the left, until we had 
advanced two miles, when, coming on to the crest of a hill, we 
were opened on by one of the enemy's batteries posted directly 
in front, and distant about a thousand yards. Our men were 
then ordered to lie down, when our brigade battery was 
I brought forward, and opened on the enemy. We were held in 
] this position for about an hour and a half, the enemy keeping 
I up a constant fire on our line, doing us but little damage. 

" The first and second brigades of our division to our right, 

' having advanced their lines, swung round to the left, charged 

I and captured the enemy's redoubts in our front. AVe were 

then moved forward, swinging our line to the left, and con- 

; forming to the line on our right. After advancing about half 

i a mile, we came upon a strong redoubt of the enemy, situated 

I to the right of the Hillsboro pike, and just five miles from 

Nashville; our line was pushed well forward, and shortly 

before four o'clock, P. M., every thing being ready, we were 

ordered to charge. 

"Our men moved rapidly up the hill, but, before gaining the 

I crest, the enemy moved their guns and most of their support 

to a fort about three hundred yards in the rear, and to the right, 

from which they gave us a heavy raking fire as we moved on 

to and over the first work. On gaining the first work, our 

brigade commander. Colonel S. G. Hill, 35th Iowa Infantry, 

was shot through the head, and instantly killed." 

I And thus closed the first day's fighting in this part of the 
j field; for it was now near night and soon the whole line was 
i compelled to halt. 

The engagement at Xashville stands among the most brilliant 

j of the war. It is Thomas' celebrated left-wheel battle, where 

! with Schofield's and a part of Wood's command, he guaixled 

Nashville and held the enemy's right, and with Smith and 

Wilson's Cavalry bore back and shattered his left. 

When the first day's fighting had closed, the issue of the 
battle was decided; and now Hood only thought of how he should 
conduct his retreat. There was, however, much hard fighting' 
on the IGth instant ; but before four o'clock of that day Hood 



612 IOWA colonp:i^s and regiments. 

fled in utter despair southward. Tliomas followed the dis- 
organized rebel army as far as Clifton, and there went into 
camp. In the following Spring, the 35th Iowa followed 
General Smith to Mobile, where it closed the interesting portion 
of its history. 

Colonel Hill was a man of middle size, weighing about one 
hundred and sixty pounds, and having a bilious-sanguine tem- 
perament. He was a brave soldier, and an honest, unpretend- 
ing man. If he was distinguished for any thing, it was for his 
courage and caution. He had good judgment, and enjoyed the 
love of his regiment, and the confidence of his superior officers. 



COLONEL CHARLES WOODMAN laTTREDGE. 

THIRTY-SIXTH INFANTRY. 

Charles W. Kittredge is a New Englander, being born 
in Portland, Maine, on the 16th of January, 1826. His father, 
Joseph W. Kittredge, who was a merchant, closed up his busi- 
ness in Portland in 1828, and removed with his family to 
Sutton, Vermont. Sutton remained the residence of his 
family, till the year 1836. At nine years of age, young Kit- 
tredge entered the High School of Bradford, Massachusetts. 
A few years later, he became a member of the Lyndon Acad- 
emy, Vermont, where he remained till 1839. That year he 
completed his schooling, and soon after joined his father's 
family in Adams county, Illinois, where it had removed in the 
fall of 1836. The father died in 1844, soon after which Charles 
returned with his mother to New England, where he remained 
till 1855, doing business in Haverhill, Massaichusetts, and in 
Dexter and Portland, Maine. In 1855, he again came West, 
and, after a residence of three years in Chicago and Mt. Pleas- 
ant, settled in Ottumwa, Iowa, where he entered the grocery 
business. 

Early in the summer of 1861, he enlisted a company (F) 

for the 7th Iowa Infantry, and was elected its captain. He 

accompanied his regiment in all its tiresome marches through 

Missouri, and was with it in the brilliant, though unfortunate 

affair at Belmont, where he distinguished himself. Just after 

the flank movement of the enemy had been learned, and when 

his regiment was falling back. Captain Kittredge was severely 

wounded, and, being necessarily left upon the field, fell into 

the hands of the enemy. He was soon paroled, however, and 
33 513 



514 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. I 

sent to Cairo, where he lay for many weeks in a very critical | 
condition, in the St. Charles Hotel. He was shot twice; 
through the arm, and through the thigh, the ball in the latter I 
case passing between the bone and the femoral artery. Having 
finally recovered he re-joined his regiment on the 30th of the 
following March ; but his wounds had disabled him for duty 
as a line officer, and he was compelled to tender his resigna- \< 
lion, which was accepted on the 11th of June, 1862. | 

Returning to Ottumwa, he resumed his former business, and 
was thus engaged when, in the following August, Governor 
Kirkwood tendered him the colonelcy of the 36th Iowa 
Infantry. He accepted the commission, and at once reported 
at Keokuk, where his regiment was in rendezvous. 

The 36th Iowa, like all her sister regiments, has a good 
record. It has an unfortunate chapter in its history: it is one 
of the seven Iowa regiments that, during the war, has been 
captured. 

The regiment, by order of General Curtis, commanding at St. ii 
Louis, reported at Helena, Arkansas, on the first of January, 
1863, and remained at that post on garrison-duty till the 24th 
of February following, when it left on the celebrated Yazoo 
Pass Expedition. It sailed with the advance, under Brigadier- 
General Ross of Illinois, and arrived at Shell Mound on the 
Tallahatchie, about two miles above Fort Pemberton, on 
the 11th of March. It was at once disembarked, and sent 
out to support a portion of General Solomon's Brigade, then 
skirmishing with the enemy; but, though under fire, it did 
not engage the enemy, and suffered no loss. It left on the 
return to Helena the 4th of April, having in the meantime 
only met the enemy in skirmishes. 

The dangers and hardships of the Yazoo Pass Expedition 
have been given elsewhere, and I need only add here that, in 
the perilous return up the Tallahatchie and Cold Water 



CHARLES W. KITTREDGE. 515 

Rivers, the 36th Iowa lost only four men wounded. But many 

of both officers and men contracted diseases on this expedition, 

which rendered them unfit for service. Among others was 

Major T. C. Woodward, a most excellent officer, and deservedly 

popular with the regiment. 

The 4th of July vindication, at Helena, Arkansas, in the sum- 

, mer of 1863, was the first severe engagement of the 36th Iowa. 

Here, three thousand five hundred men successfully resisted 

I the repeated and determined assaults of six times their num- 

; ber. It was a terrible disaster to the rebels, and made the 

hearts of those on the west side of the Mississippi disconsolate. 

From the 8th of April to the 10th of August, 1863, the 36th 

Iowa was stationed at Helena; but on the last named date 

started out with Major-General Steele on the Arkansas 

Expedition, which ended with the capture of Little Rock, 

September 10th 1863. During this march. Colonel Kittredge 

commanded the 1st Brigade of the 2d Division. 

Having passed the fall of 1863, and the following Winter at 
Little Rock, the 36th Iowa, on the 23d of March, 1861, joined 
the expedition under Major-General Steele, which, being 
organized in conjunction with one under Major-General Banks, 
had for its object the capture of Shreveport, and the defeat and 
dispersion of the enemy in the Red River country. The battles 
of Elkin's Ford and Mark's Mills, Arkansas, will ever have a 
place in the military annals of Iowa, Missouri, Indiana and 
Ohio, the States whose troops were there represented. 

The 43d Indiana, 36th Iowa, 77th Ohio, and two sections of 
Battery E, 2d Missouri Light Artillery constituted the 2d 
Brigade, 3d Division, 7th Army Corps, and, with the excep- 
tion of two companies of the 1st Iowa Cavalry, were the only 
troops on our side engaged at Elkin's Ford. Indeed, if I am 
correctly informed, the 77th Ohio was not engaged, having 



616 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

been previously detached to support tlie cavalry in another 
quarter. 

The battle of Elkin's Ford was opened early on the morning 
of the 4th of April, 18G4, by the enemy driving in our cavalry- 
pickets, and by advancing rapidly against the command of 
Lieutenant-Colonel Drake, composed of portions of the 43d 
Indiana and the 36th Iowa, and one section of Battery E, 2d 
Missouri Light Artillery, which was being held as the picket- 
reserve. The fighting was very severe, and the gallantry of 
the troops unrivaled ; but the force of the enemy was so great 
as to render all opposition of no avail. Lieutenant-Colonel 
Drake was being gradually force d back, when Colonel Kitt- 
redge, coming up on his left with the balance of his regiment, 
charged the enemy and drove him back in confusion. The 
repulse was so complete that the enemy declined to renew the 
fight, and beat a hasty retreat. 

The battle of Elkin's Ford was fought near the Little Mis- 
souri River, and during General Steele's march southward. 
That of Mark's Mills was fought, while the 2d Brigade wiis en 
route to Pine Bluff for supplies for Steele's army at Camden. 

How General Steele, learning at Prairie de Anne of the 
defeat of Banks, turned eastward to Camden ; how he lost 
much of his train sent out on a foraging expedition to Poisoned 
Springs ; how, after that. Colonel Mackey of the 33d Iowa 
came through with supplies from Pine BluflP; and how Steele, 
resolving to maintain himself at Camden, sent back to Pine 
Bluff for other supplies, has already been stated in the sketches 
of other officers and regiments. The 2d Brigade, under com- 
mand of Lieutenant-Colonel Drake, constituted the command 
above alluded to ; and, in addition to those troops, were two 
hundred and forty men of the First Indiana and 7th Missouri 
Cavalry, under Major McCaully. The wagon-train consisted 
of two hundred and forty wagons. 



CHARLES W. KITTEEDGE. 517 

Lieutenant-Colonel Drake left Camden on the morning of 
the 23d of April, and proceeding on the Pine Bluff road, 
reached Moro Bottom in the evening of the 24th instant. Up 
to that time. Major McCaully, in command of the cavalry, had 
discovered no enemy; and Lieutenant-Colonel Drake, thinking 
that he was not threatened, went into camp. Had he marched 
all that night, as did the enemy, he would have escaped cap- 
ture, and saved his train. On the 2r)th instant, the march was 
resumed at day-light, and proceeded unmolested till near the 
junction of the Warren and Pine BlufT roads, when Major 
Morris, in advance, came on the enemy's skirmishers. The 
engagement opened at once. At this time the 36th Iowa, 
under Major Hamilton, a brave and worthy officer, was march- 
ing by the side of the train, to guard against a flank-surprise; 
but, on receiving notice of the attack, hurried to the front. 
Orders were also sent to the 77th Ohio, in the extreme rear, to 
double-quick to the front ; but before the movement was exe- 
cuted, the regiment was surrounded and captured. The 36th 
Iowa, 43d Indiana, Lieutenant Peetz's Battery, and the cav- 
alry, had, therefore, to continue the engagement without rein- 
forcements. As was afterward learned, the rebel troops on 
the ground numbered little less than eight thousand. Fagan 
was in command, and he had seven brigades — Shelby's, Dock- 
ery's, Cabell's, Cooper's, Crawford's, Wright's, and Greene's. 
But, notwithstanding these overwhelming numbers, the rem- 
nant of the 2d Brigade maintained its position, repelling the 
enemy's charges, for nearly five hours. Finally, being com- 
pletely surrounded, its ammunition expended, and having no 
hope of relief, the command surrendered. It was at this time 
that the rebel General Fagan boasted that the capture of Steele's 
whole army was certain. 

Lieutenant-Colonel Drake was severely wounded in this 



518 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

engagement, and was soon after paroled with others, and sent 
within our lines ; but the 3Gth Iowa was marched to Tyler, 
Texas, where it passed a long and wretched prison-life. To 
show the hardships endured on this cruel march, I quote, 
briefly, from a statement made by Chaj)lain M. H. Hare, of 
the 36th Iowa: 

"We were marched off rapidly after the close of the battle. 
We were all driven on foot fifty-two miles, without rations, 
rest, or respite, to Moro, or, as we termed it, 'Raw Corn.' 
There we crossed the Ouchita. We had eaten our breakfast on 
the morning of the 25th before day ; and now it was after dark 
in the evening of the 26th. The rebels had robbed us of our 
haversacks, beside other valuables ; and, when we reached the 
river, we seized upon some mule-corn, which we found, and 
ate it with avidity, raw. It was a sad sight to go among the 
boys, as I did that night, and see them — some gnawing away, 
and others, wearied and exhausted, lying asleep, still holding 
their half-eaten ear." 

Captain T. B. Hale, unable to endure these hardships, died. 
This noble young officer was buried in a handsome grove, on 
the banks of the Ouchita, about sixty miles below Camden. 

The killed and wounded of the 2d Brigade, in the battle of 
Mark's Mills, numbered about two hundred and fifty. The 
loss of the enemy is not known. Surgeon J. M. B. Cochrane, 
of the 1st Iowa Cavalry, Major Hamilton, of the 36th Iowa, 
and many others were highly complimented for their gallantry 
during the action. 

The 36th Iowa was exchanged in the spring of 1865. Since 
that time, it has been stationed on garrison-duty at St. Charles, 
on White River. 

Colonel Kittredge was not present in the engagement at 
Mark's Mills. At the time it was ordered out, he was sick and 
was left behind with some forty men of his regiment. On the 
return of General Steele to Little Rock, he accompanied the 
command of Brigadier-General Samuel A. Rice; and, under 



CHAKLES W. KITTEEDGE. 519 

that officer, took part in the engagement at Jenkin's Ferry. 
During General Steele's absence from Little Rock, Colonel 
Anderson of the First Iowa Cavalry, who was left behind, 
assumed command of the post ; but, soon after the return of 
the army, that officer resigned his commission, when Colonel 
Kittredge was made Post Commandant. Colonel Kittredge 
continued at Little Rock till the spring of 1865, when on the 
suggestion of General Reynolds he was dismissed the service. 
I will state briefly what I know of this unfortunate affair. 

In the winter of 1864-5, Lieutenant-Colonel Drake of the 36th 
Iowa preferred charges against Colonel Kittredge, which I 
have never seen, and which, if I had, and could state them, 
would afford to the reader little interest. Early in March, 
1865, Colonel Kittredge went before a general court-martial 
convened at Little Rock, for trial. Brigadier-General Cyrus 
Bussey was President of the Court, and Colonels Benton, 
Mackey and Thompson were among its members. The case 
was tried, and resulted, I am told, in a finding of "not guilty," 
as regarded every charge and specification. The record was 
then made up, and sent by the Judge Advocate to General 
Reynolds, for approval; but that general, instead, forwarded 
the papers to the President, with the recommendation that 
Colonel Kittredge be dismissed the service. General Reynolds' 
recommendation was of course complied with ; for he had been 
recently sent to Little Rock to relieve General Steele, for the 
express purpose of renovating the Department of Arkansas, 
and all his recommendations were promptly endorsed. I 
should state further that, one of General Steele's staff-officers, 
who remained behind after the departure of that general for 
New Orleans, and who was a bitter friend of Colonel Kittredge, 
was acting on the staff of General Reynolds at the time the 
colonel's papers were sent up. 



520 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

After receiving his dismissal the colonel returned to his 
home and proceeded thence to Washington to make inquiry 
into the proceedings in his case. He M^as gone only a few days 
when news came that the order for his dismissal was revoked 
and he reinstated. He left Washington immediately for St. 
Charles, Arkansas, where his regiment is now stationed in 
garrison. 

From the portrait of Colonel Kittredge here published which 
is a good one, can be read the character of the man. He is 
independent and outspoken and has no policy. The following 
is illustrative of his character. While stationed at Helena he 
was requested to sign a paper recommending a brigadier-gen- 
eral for promotion. He refused to give his name, saying he 
did not believe the officer entitled to promotion. The officer 
was at the time his division commander. He is abrupt in 
his manners, quick in his movements, and treats his friends 
with generosity and his enemies with vindictiveness. 

From what I can learn he was popular with his regiment. 
I talked with several of his men who were just out of prison 
and home on leave of absence, and they all said he was con- 
sidered a good officer. In the first year of the regiment's service 
I understand he made enemies by recommending a lieutenant 
over several captains for a field officer, though all but the par- 
ties interested admitted that the lieutenant was the best man 
for the place. 

It is proper to state in this connection that, soon after resign- 
ing his commission as captain in the 7th Infantry, Colonel 
Kittredge was married to Miss Charlotte Mahon of Ottumwa, 
a sister of Major Mahon, and an intelligent and accomplished 
lady. 



COLONEL GEORGE W. KINCAID. 

THIRTY-SEVENTH INFANTKY. 

George W. Kincaid is a native of the State of Ohio, and 
an old resident of Muscatine county, Iowa. He is about fifty- 
three years of age. His occupation in civil life I have failed 
to learn. He entered the army in the fall of 1862, as colonel of 
the 37th Iowa Infantry, and served with that rank till the 
spring of 1865, when, with his regiment, he was mustered out 
of the service. In the judgment of his regiment, he served 
with little honor to himself, or the State. 

The o7th Iowa is the celebrated Gray-Beard Regiment. It 
was organized under a special order of the War Department, 
in the fall of 1862, and was to be composed of men over the age 
of forty-five years. If I am correctly informed, it was a con- 
dition precedent that, the regiment was to be employed only 
on post- and garrison-duty. Certain it is that, with one excep- 
tion, it was never assigned to any other. Its history, therefore, 
throwing age out of the question, is not a brilliant one. Its 
thirty-months' service was passed at the following points: 
St. Louis, Missouri; Alton, Illinois; Memphis, Tennessee; 
Cincinnati, Ohio; and Rock Island, Illinois. 

The following from the pen of L. M. Miller, the regiment's 
sergeant-major, is the chief item of interest in the regiment's 
history ; 

"On the lOth instant, [July 7th, 1864] a detail of fifty men 
was sent from the 37th regiment, to go as guard on a supply- 
train, on the Memphis and Charleston Railroad. When about 
thirty-six miles out, the train was fired into by fifty or sixty 
bushwhackers, concealed in the brush and behind the fence. 
Our guards were stationed on top of the cars, exposed to their 

521 



522 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

fire, the train running thirty miles an hour. Our men returned 
the fire very promptly, and it is believed from the best infor- 
mation we can gather we did the enemy equal damage, at least 
in numbers. Our loss was Samuel Coburn of Company A, 
and Corporal Charles Young of Company B, both mortally 
wounded. The corporal lived till next day, and Colburn till 
the evening of the same day. Two others were slightly 
wounded, but are doing well." 

But if these patriarchal patriots did little service in the field, 
it is not to be supposed that theirs was holiday duty. Garri- 
son-duty, if not attended with great risk, is fatiguing and 
monotonous; and few soldiers, if consulted, would prefer it to 
field-service. We should, therefore, accord to these ancient 
heroes a full share of the State's military renown. 

I am told that Colonel Kincaid is a tall, raw-boned, gray- 
haired man, uninviting in personal appearance and in address. 
He was strict in his discipline, to which may be attributed his 
great unpopularity with his regiment. I am unwilling to 
record the many stories of his misrule. 



COLONEL D. HENRY HUGHES. 

THIRTY-EIGHTH INFANTRY. 

The late D. Henry Hughes was born in Jefferson county, 
New York, on the 11th of September, 1830. He was the son of 
a farmer. At sixteen, he entered the New Yorlc State Normal 
School, where he passed a year and a half, and then returned 
home and labored with his father on the farm till he attained 
his majority. In 1852, he came West and settled temporarily 
in Chicago, where he obtained employment as book-keeper in 
the Agricultural Warehouse of Emery & Co. During his two 
years' stay with this enterprising house, he was a frequent 
contributor to the "Prairie Farmer," a valuable agricultural 
paper, published by his employers. In 1855, he left Illinois 
for Iowa, and settled in Decorah, which was his family's place 
of residence at the time of his death. 

Colonel Hughes was held in high esteem in Winnesheik 
county. He learned the law with one Mr. Webber of Decorah, 
and, in the spring of 1862, became a partner of the Hon. M. V. 
Burdick, now State Senator from Winnesheik county. Indeed, 
in 1861, he was Mr. Burdick's opponent for the State Senate, 
being the nominee of the Democratic Party of Winnesheik 

county. 

In October, 1862, Mr. Hughes was made lieutenant-colonel 
of the 38th Iowa Infantry, and late in the same month was 
promoted to the colonelcy of the regiment. He served with 
his regiment till its arrival at Port Hudson, Lousiana, when 
he was prostrated by the sickness incident to that climate. He 
died on board the steamer Lebanon, on the 7th of August, 1863. 

The history of the 38th Iowa has less of general interest in it 

523 



524 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

than that of any other Iowa regiment. Up to the 27th of 
November, 18G4, it had lost in battle only one man killed, and 
two wounded, one of the latter mortally. The following are 
the points at which the regiment served prior to the above 
named date: Columbus and Union City, Kentucky; New 
Madrid, Missouri; Vicksburg; Port Hudson and Carrollton, 
Louisiana; on the Texan coast and at Brownsville; Mobile 
Point, and at Donaldsonville, Louisiana. The regiment was 
consolidated with the 34th Iowa Infantry, on the 1st day of 
January, 1865 ; since which time its history will be found in 
that of the latter regiment. 

The following statement, taken from the records of the regi- 
ment, is a remarkable illustration of the disparity of losses 
sustained by troops in battle and by disease: 

"Original strength of regiment: officers, thirty-nine; enlist- 
ed men, eight hundred and seventy-six. Added in field by 
recruits: enlisted men, one hundred and twelve. Added by 
promotion: officers, nine. Added by transfer: officers, one. 

"Killed in battle: enlisted men, one. Died of wounds: 
enlisted men, one. Discharged: officers, twenty; enlisted 
men, one hundred and ten. Deserted: thirteen. Died of 
disease: officers, four; enlisted men, three hundred and seven. 
Transferred : enlisted men, twenty-eight. Total : officers, 
twenty-four; enlisted men, four hundred and sixty-five." 

The following is from an eulogy delivered by Hon. M. V. 
Burdick to Colonel Hughes' memory : 

"He is gone ; but though dead he yet lives— lives in the 
example that he set, in the precepts that he gave — lives in the 
hearts of his friends. They will not endeavor to repress the 
generous pride which prompts a recital of his noble deeds, and 
manly virtues. He commenced his career among us without 
fortune, without influential friends, and surrounded by many 
difficulties. He has filled many positions of honor and trust, 
and has written his name in the history of this great struggle 
of the nation to maintain the national existence. He leaves to 
his friends none but the most pleasing recollections." 



COLONEL HENRY J. B. CUMMINGS. 

THIRTY-NINTH INFANTRY. 

HENRY Johnson Broadhead Cummings is the only rep- 
resentative that little New Jersey can claim among the loiva 
Colonels. He was born in the town of Ne%vton, Sussex county, 
on the 21st day of May, 1831, and continued to reside at that 
place until he was ten years of age. He then accompanied his 
parents to Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, where he lived 
till he reached his eighteenth year. His education was acquired 
at the common schools of that county. In his eighteenth Win- 
ter, he taught school, and after its close, entered the law-office 
of Judge Maynard of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and began 
the study of the law. From 1851 to 1854, he edited a paper in 
Schuylkill Haven, after which he resumed his legal studies in 
the office of Henry Johnson, Esq., of Muncey, Pennsylvania, 
and was admitted to the bar in 1855. But, being without 
means, he was again compelled to return to the editorial tri- 
pod. In 1856, he came West and located in Winterset, Iowa, 
where he opened an office, and for the first time entered upon 
the practice of his profession. That same Winter, he assisted 
in oro-anizing the Republican Party in Madison county; and, 
in thl following August, was elected Prosecuting Attorney for 
that county. Later, he became a law-partner of the Hon. M. 
S. McPherson, who, in 1860, was a member of the Iowa State 
Senate. 

Colonel Cummings first entered the war as captain of Com- 
pany F., 4th Iowa Infentry. While the regiment was at its 
rendezvous in Council Blufts, he was elected by the line officers 

52o 



526 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

its major. He was not, however, commissioned by the Gov- 
ernor; for Captain English, of the same regiment, had been 
previously promoted to that rank. Captain Cummings served 
in the 4th Iowa Infantry until the 6th of September, 1862, 
when he was promoted to the colonelcy of the 39th Iowa 
Infantry. 

The first engagement of the 39th Iowa, was at Parker's Cross 
Roads, Tennessee, on the 31st of December, 1862. The enemy 
were led by Forest, and numbered from five to seven thousand 
men. The Union forces engaged comprised only one brigade, 
commanded by Colonel Dunham of the 50th Indiana, and 
numbered not quite sixteen hundred men. 

So soon as the enemy learned of General Grant's plans for 
the capture of Vicksburg, in the fall of 1862, they at once set 
on foot schemes for their frustration ; and, only a few days 
after the Federal army had marched from Holly Springs, Van 
Dorn and Forest were dispatched against General Grant's rear, 
to overwhelm small garrisons, and destroy all supplies and 
lines of communication. Van Dorn marched for Holly Springs 
and vicinity, while Forest made his appearance along the 
Jackson and Columbus Railroad. On the morning of the 31st 
of December, 1862, Forest, with the greater portion of his com- 
mand, was encamped in the timber, about half a mile west of 
Parker's Cross Roads. A small detachment was stationed at 
the Cross Roads ; and these Colonel Dunham, while moving 
with his command down the road in the direction of Red 
Mound, encountered at about eight o'clock in the morning. 

But, to give an intelligible history of this affair, I should 
refer briefly to the previous movements of the 39th Iowa. On 
the 18th of December, 1862, the regiment left Columbus, Ken- 
tucky, under orders to report to General G. M. Dodge at Corinth. 
Arriving at Jackson, it was ordered by General Sullivan to 



HENRY J. B. CUMMINQS. 527 

disembark ; for an attack upon that place by Forest was hourly- 
looked for. It remained at Jackson four days, when, it 
becoming evident that Forest did not intend attacking that 
place, it was sent back to Trenton. There it was organized 
with the 50th Indiana and 122d Illinois, and sent in pursuit of 
Forest, then reported at Huntingdon, thirty miles east. 
Parker's Cross Roads is between Huntingdon and Lexington, 
where, as above stated, a portion of Forest's command was 
encountered. 

The 50th Indiana was at once deployed as skirmishers, and 
I drove the small detachment back to the main body, stationed 
j on the hill or in the timber. Colonel Dunham now began 
making his dispositions to attack them in this position ; but 
he soon learned that the position was so strong, and that their 
numbers so superior to his own that an attempt to rout them 
must be unsuccessful. After a vigorous use of his artillery, he 
therefore withdrew his command south, and took up a position 
on the east side of the road on a gentle rise of ground near Red 
Mound. The enemy followed and took up a position on the 
brow of a hill about one thousand yards distant. The enemy 
had eleven pieces of artillery, and the Federal troops but three ; 
and in all other respects they were equally superior. The 
engagement now opened with artillery ; but only a few shots 
had been fired, when Colonel Dunham saw that he could not 
hold his present position. He therefore moved down the hill 
into low ground, and took position behind a rail fence. The 
39th held the left, the 122 Illinois the centre, and the 50th 
Indiana the right. The enemy still held the brow of the hill 
in front. 

Their position was most admirable. Retiring just behind 
the crest of the hill, and charging their artillery, they would 
then shove it forward, and, depressing the pieces, continue a 



528 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

most destructive fire on our lines. Their infantry, too, at long 
range and well covered, did much execution; while our troops, 
lying along the fence in the bottom, were able only by their 
presence to hold the enemy at bay. The right of the line, how- 
ever, was able to do some execution. Thus matters stood tiU 
about four o'clock in the afternoon, when the enemy, despair- 
ing of routing the Federal troops from the position they then 
held, dismounted a force of about one thousand men, and sent 
them round to the rear of Colonel Dunham's right flank. 
Moving by a circuitous route through the timber, they were 
not discovered till their skirmishers opened fire on tlie right- 
rear of the Federal line. This was the signal for the enemy on 
the hill in front to concentrate their artillery-fire on the 
Federal left; for this was necessary to save their own men, 
approaching from the rear; and now the shower of grape and 
canister, which fell on the 39th Iowa, was terrific. With the 
enemy approaching in its rear, and this terrible fire in front, 
the right wing of the 39th broke, and sought shelter in a corn- 
field to the west of the road. Portions of the 50th Indiana and 
122d Illinois also joined in this brief stampede. But relief was 
now near at hand: a brigade of reinforcements — the "Ohio 
Brigade" —soon fell upon the enemy's rear, and scattered their 
lines in confusion. This, however, w^as not done till after the 
39th Iowa had rallied, and, with the balance of the brigade, 
driven back the enemy's flanking-party. The engagement 
now closed, and the Federal troops rested that night on the 
battle-ground. The following is the result of the engagement: 
Four hundred prisoners were captured. Five hundred horses 
and seven cannon were also among the spoils of war; but the 
three pieces of artillery belonging to the command of Colonel 
Dunham had been literally knocked to pieces. The losses of 
the 39th Iowa, in killed, wounded and missing, were forty- 
seven. Three only were killed; and among these was the 



HENRY J. B. CUM.MIXGS. 529 

color-guard, J. C. Stearns. The gallant Lieutenant-Colonel 
Redfield, while rallying his men, was severely wounded in 
the shoulder. Major Griffiths, Captain Browne and Lieutenant 
Rawls were also among the wounded. This was the first 
engagement of the 39th Iowa; and all things considered, it 
sustained itself well. 

With the battle of Parker's Cross Roads closed the old year 
of 1862. On the morning following, the 39th Iowa, with the 
i balance of its brigade, started on the return march to Jackson, 
I where it arrived on the evening of the 2d. At Columbus, as 
already stated, Colonel Cummin^s had been ordered to report 
to General G. M. Dodge, commanding 2d Division, 16th Army 
Corps, and on the 6th instant he left Jackson with his regiment 
. for Corinth. Arriving at Corinth, the 39th Iowa was assigned 
I to the 2d Brigade, Colonel M. IM. Banes, and, for more than a 
I year thereafter, was attached to that command. From the 
date of its arrival at Corinth, till the time it joined the forces 
I of General Sherman in the grand march on Atlanta, the his- 
tory of the 39th Iowa may be soon told. It was stationed on 
garrison-duty, and passed the most of its time in camp. 

The march to Tuscumbia, Alabama, the object of which was 
to cover the movements of Colonel Streight, in his raid into 
Georgia, I must not, however, omit to mention. All things 
being in readiness. General Dodge moved out of Corinth with 
his entire division on the 15th of April, and, proceeding by 
easy marches, arrived at Bear Creek without incident. At 
Bear Creek, his advance encountered the enemy under Roddy, 
and soon after that force was strengthened by the arrival of 
Forest. But General Dodge pushed steadily on, driving back 
the enemy with a line of skirmishers, until he arrived at Town 
Creek. Here the enemy, on the opposite bank, had their artil- 
lery in position, which was well supported. An artillery-duel 
followed of half a day in length, when, bridges having been 



530 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

constructed under the enemy's fire, the forces of General Dodge 
began crossing to the east side of the stream. The enemy now- 
retired precipitately, and General Dodge, knowing Colonel 
Streight, who had passed by the enemy's left flank, was well 
on his way, returned to Corinth. The 39th Iowa arrived at 
Corinth on the 2d of May. Four days after. Company H of 
the regiment, while guarding a corral near Corinth, was sur- 
rounded by a large body of rebel cavalry and captured. Its 
Captain, James H. Loomis, was made a prisoner, and only a 
few of the men escaped. 

Colonel Cummings remained with his regiment at Corinth, 
until November, 1863, and then marched with the command of 
General Dodge to the line of the Nashville and Decatur Rail- 
road. 

He arrived with his regiment at Pulaski the 11th of November, 
and the day following was sent north seven miles to Reynold's 
Station, where regimental head-quarters were established. 
Five companies remained at head-quarters. Three were sta- 
tioned at grist-mills; and two on guard-duty, at raih'oad- 
bridges. Seven weeks later, regimental head-quarters were 
removed to Culleoka, twenty miles further north. The regi- 
ment remained here till the 12th of the following March, when, 
with its brigade, it marched south to Athens ; but its day of 
garrison- and railroad guard-duty was now soon to close. 

In the early part of May, 1864, the 39th Iowa marched with 
its brigade to Huntsville, where the whole command of Gen- 
eral Dodge assembled, preparatory to joining General Sherman 
on the march against Atlanta: from that point it moved 
directly to the front at Dalton. But the movements of the 
left wing of the 16th Army Corps during the Atlanta Cam- 
paign have been given elsew here, and up to the time of the 
occupation of Rome, the history of the 39fch is the same as that 
of this command: the 39th Iowa, and, I think, all the regi- 



HENRY J. B. CUMMINGS. 531 

ments of its brigade— the 7th, 50th and 57th Illinois Infantry 
regiments, went no further than Rome, being left at that point 
to guard Sherman's flank, and his line of communications. 
Where the regiment most distinguished itself, and where it 
lost its best officer — Lieutenant-Colonel James Redfield— was 
at Allatoona, Georgia. 

Its defense of this place was gallant in the extreme, and a full 
history of the affair would be read with the greatest interest; 
but want of space forbids me giving it. The following is from 
a statement of Major, afterward Lieutenant-Colonel Griffiths: 

"The entire force on our side was one thousand eight hun- 
dred: that of the enemy, seven thousand. Our forces were 
commanded by Brigadier-General J. M. Corse. They arrived 
at 10 o'clock P. M., expecting that the enemy would not attack, 
knowing they (we) were reinforcements. In this we were 
deceived. They attacked in the morning at 7 A. M. General 
Corse had time only to hastily dispose of his little force, when 
they came up with massed columns. 

" The 30th Iowa was placed at the forks of a road, three hun- 
dred yards from the fort, where the heaviest column of the 
enemy charged. It was important to hold this position, and 
check the enemy. This they did twice, although terribly cut 
to pieces. The third time the enemy was in such force as to be 
irresistible, and the remainder of our regiment fell back, con- 
testing every foot of ground to the fort. 

"General Corse and the veteran troops, who witnessed the 
heroism and determination of the 39th on that day, say they 
have never before seen such fighting. They pronounced it 
'Chickasaw Bayou,' continued for five hours. It was during 
this time that the above named officers, except Lieutenant 
Blodgett, were killed. He was one of the four officers who 
succeeded in reaching the fort, and was shot while carrying a 
message from General Corse to Colonel Rowett. There were 
ten of our officers in the engagement: five were killed, and two 
wounded and captured, leaving but three with the command. 

"It gives me great pleasure to testify to the heroism, valor 
and gallantry of these officers. I have seen them before when 
in discharge of their duties and under fire, and can say of them 



532 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

that in every emergency they displayed coolness and deter- 
mined courage. As officers, they had the respect and confidence 
of the command. As men, they had won, by their geniality 
of disposition and uniform courtesy of manner, the kindest 
regards and affections of their officers and men, so that we can 
feelingly exclaim; Their places, who can fill them?" 

The regiment lost, in killed, five officers and twenty-seven 
enlisted men, and, in wounded, one officer and sixty-one 
enlisted men. Two officers and sixty-eight enlisted men were 
captured. The commissioned officers killed, were Lieutenant- 
Colonel James Redfield and Lieutenants O. C. Ayers, A. T. 
Blodgett, N. P. Wright and J. P. Jones. Lieutenant-Colonel 
Redfield was a man of much excellence. It has often been 
said he should have been colonel of the 39th Iowa. 

Colonel Cummings is a short, fleshy man, with blue eyes, 
and a large, red face. In his manners, he is dignified and con- 
sequential. He is reputed as being able to endure as much rest 
as any man in Iowa. He was a good tactician, but, beyond 
that, possessed little merit as a soldier. 



COLONEL JOHN ALEXANDER GARRETT. 

FORTIETH INFANTRY. 

John A. Garrett is a native of Carlisle, Sullivan county, 
Indiana, and was born on the loth day of November, 1824. 
He was educated at Hanover College, and at the Indiana Uni- 
versity, and was a member of the last named institution, not 
having yet graduated, when he enlisted as a private in the 4th 
Indiana Infantry, Colonel, now General Gorman. Landing 
at Vera Cruz under General Scott, he accompanied his regi- 
ment from that place to the city of Mexico ; and, on that cam- 
paign, took an active part in two engagements— Huamartla 
(which was Santa Anna's last) and Atlixco. 

At the close of the Mexican War, he returned to his native 
town ; where, entering the mercantile business, he remained 
till 1857. In the fall of that year, he came to Iowa, and, after 
a brief residence in Des Moines and Leon, settled, in 1859, in 
Newton, Jasper county, where, re-establishing himself in mer- 
cantile pursuits, he continued to reside till the opening of the 
war. 

John A. Garrett enlisted in the present war late in July, 
18G1. In the following August he recruited a company in 
Jasper county which was assigned to the 10th Iowa Infantry, 
and of which he was elected captain. Until after the evacua- 
tion of Corinth and till as late as September, 1862, Captain 
Garrett was constantly on duty with his regiment. He took 
part with it in the expedition against New Madrid, and with 
his company (I) led the advance of the detachment, which, 
under Major McCalla, first occupied the place after its evacua- 
tion by the enemy. He was also present at the taking of 

533 



534 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

Island No. 10, and was with the force, which, crossing the 
river on the afternoon of the 7th, marched out to Tipton ville 
and received the comical surrender of five thousand of the 
enemy. 

In tlie sharp skirmish of the 10th Iowa before Corinth on 
the afternoon of the 26th of May, 1862, Captain Garrett distin- 
guished himself, and for his good conduct in this and in other 
encounters with the enemy was appointed lieutenant-colonel of 
the 22d Iowa Infantry. His commission was issued on the 2d 
of August, 1862; but the delay occasioned by the "red tape" 
system prevented his leaving his company until the following 
September. On his way North to join his new command he 
learned from the Chicago "Journal" that the 22d Iowa had 
already left their rendezvous for the field. He also learned, 
and with greater surprise, that he had been commissioned col- 
onel of the 40th Iowa Infantry. 

The 40th Iowa Infantry entered active service in the latter 
part of December, 1862, and was first stationed at Columbus, 
Kentucky. On the first night of its arrival, that place was 
threatened by the enemy under Forest ; but as is well known, 
no attack was made. The regiment served at Columbus and at 
Paducah, Kentucky, until the 31st of May, 1863, when, by 
order of General Grant, it moved down the Mississippi, and 
joined the grand army of that general in the operations around 
Vicksburg. It reached Sartatia on the Yazoo on the morning 
of the 4th of June, and, from that date till the surrender of the 
rebel strong-hold, served with that portion of the army which 
was stationed at and in the vicinity of Haine's Bluff, to antici- 
pate any movement that might be made by General Johnson, 
to relieve the beleaguered city. During the protracted siege, 
the 40th never met the enemy, and lost no men in battle, but, 
stationed on the banks of the Yazoo, it had drunk of those 
deadly waters, and when, on the 23d of July, the regiment 



JOHN A. GARRETT. 535 

embarked for Helena, many a brave boy had been laid beneath 
the sod, and many more totally disabled for the service. The 
fifty days' service of this regiment in Mississippi forms the 
saddest page in its history. 

Colonel Garrett arrived with his command at Helena on the 
26th of July and after a few days' rest, marched with the 
forces of Major-General Steele against the Arkansas Capital. 
The fatigues and hardships of this march, made in the face of 
the enemy and in mid-summer in almost a tropical climate 
may be imagined when it is stated that, out of some six hun- 
dred men of the 40th Iowa who started on this campaign, only 
about two hundred and fifty reported for duty the morning 
after General Steele's entry into Little Rock. From Browns- 
ville, on the line of the Duvall's Bluff and Little Rock Railroad 
where Steele had halted a few days to reconnoitre the position 
of the enemy, the advance was made against the enemy's right 
to the Arkansas River via Shallow Ford and Ashley's Mills. 
On the evening of the 7th, the cavalry of General Davidson 
reached the river near Ashley's Mills where they had a sharp 
skirmish with the enemy. At this point the plan of attack 
was determined on ; and on the night of the 9th of September 
General Davidson threw across his pontoons preparatory to an 
advance on the morning of the 10th. General Davidson was to 
move up the south, and General Steele the north side of the 
Arkansas— a movement which, being least expected by the 
enemy, would contribute most to their surprise. 

In crossing the Arkansas River the 40th Iowa under Colonel 
Garrett led the advance. The banks of this stream opposite 
to where the crossing was made were covered with dense tim- 
ber, and it was supposed not only by Colonel Garrett but by 
Generals Steele and Davidson that the moment the opposite 
side was reached by our troops a murderous fire of canister and 



636 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

grape from masked batteries, and a more fatal one of musketry 
from long lines of infantry would meet them. But doubting 
their ability to hold their position, the enemy had retired. 
The gallantry of Colonel Garrett and his regiment is, however, 
no less worthy of mention ; for, to meet a supposed enemy in 
the manner above described is the chief test of a soldier's 
bravery. 

The fall of 18G3, and the following Winter, were passed by 
the 40th at Little Rock, and but little occurred during this time 
worthy of special notice ; but the Spring of 18G4, opening with 
the campaign of General Steele to Camden, afforded the regi- 
ment new and ample oj^portunities to establish their prowess 
in battle. .In the great battle of the campaign — Jenkin's 
Ferry— Colonel Garrett distinguished himself; but full credit 
has never been awarded either to him or his regiment for the 
gallant part they acted. In the engagement, the regiment was 
divided, which may be the reason. Two companies were sta- 
tioned on the extreme right of the line of battle, two on the 
extreme left, and two in the centre, (the last two in support of 
a battery) Colonel Garrett, with the four remaining companies, 
engaged the enemy for four long hours without being relieved, 
and in that part of the line where the fighting was the hottest. 
His list of casualties is evidence of the part he sustained in 
this sanguinary contest, it being larger in proportion to the 
number in line, than that of any other command engaged. 
His brave boys — they were but a handful — the colonel led; and 
in one of the many charges of the enemy he joined in repuls- 
ing, his horse was shot under him. The colonel not only dis- 
tinguished himself, but nearly every officer and enlisted man 
of his command; and the name of Adjutant L. A. Duncan is 
deserving of special mention. Kirby Smith and the ubiqui- 
tous General Price, notwithstanding their vastly superior 
numbers, were bitterly punished at Jenkin's Ferry ; and from 



JOHN A. GARRETT. 537 

this point baclv to Little Rock, the army of General Steele 
marched unmolested. 

Subsequently to the unfortunate Camden. Campaign, and 
up to the early spring of 1865, the 40th Iowa remained in camp 
at Little Rock. Much of this time Colonel Garrett served on a 
court-martial. But at the time above mentioned, General 
Thayer was relieved of his command at Fort Smith, Arkan- 
sas, and General Bussey made his successor. The latter officer, 
fearing that in overhauling the afluirs of his new command he 
might not have the cordial support of the troops stationed 
there, requested General Reynolds to give him the 40th Iowa, 
as that regiment he could rely on. The request was complied 
with, and General Garrett, with his regiment, was at once 
orderered to report at that Post, where it has since served. 

Colonel Garrett is six feet in higlit, has a fair complexion, 
dark-blue eyes and chestnut hair. He has a thin, pale face, 
and a spare form ; and his general appearance indicates any 
thing but a vigorous constitution. In his habits he is strictly 
temperate: he regards not only intoxicating liquors and 
tobacco, but tea and coffee as his deadly enemies; and thus, 
although possessed of naturally a weak constitution, he has 
preserved his general health, not having varied in the last fif- 
teen years five pounds in weight. 

He is brave and cool in action. This he so finely illustrated 
in the battle of Jenkin's Ferry that it has since been the sub- 
ject of frequent comment with the officers and men of his com- 
mand. He is a good, but not a strict disciplinarian. Few 
officers, however, have a better control over men than he ; and 
there are few in the 40th Iowa, who would not prefer the 
guard-house, with its rations of bread and water, to a repri- 
mand from their colonel. His character as an officer is illus- 
trated by a little speech which he is reported to have made, on 
one occasion, just before leading his regiment into battle. 



488 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

"Boys! we will probably have a little fight. Remember 
your own good name, and the fair fame of the glorious young 
State which sent you to the field. DonH tarnish them. Do you 
see that flag? Follow and defend it. Don't shoot at the sky; 
there are no rebels up there. That climate does not suit them. 
Aim low, and send them where they belong. That's all." 



CAVALRY. 



BRIGADIER-GENERAL FITZ HENRY WARREN. 

FIRST COLONEL, FIKST CAVALRY. 

FiTZ Henry Warren and Grenville Mellen Dodge, the 
only Iowa general officers whose native State is Massachusetts, 
are both fair representatives of that proud old Commonwealth. 
Although differing in their mental constitutions, they are each 
earnest and persevering — two traits for which the sons of the 
old Bay State are noted. 

General Warren is the son of a tanner, and a native of the 
town of Brimfield, where he was born on thellth day of Jan- 
uary, 1816. His education was not liberal. He first attended 
the common schools of his native town, and later was a mem- 
ber of the Wilbraham Academy, Massachusetts. At that 
institution he completed his education. He subsequently 
entered a mercantile house as salesman, and still later, in com- 
pany with his father, became an extensive manufacturer of 
boots and shoes in Chicopee, now embraced within the limits 
of the city of Springfield, Massachusetts. In 1837, General 
Warren, who was the financial head of this firm, carried it 
safely through that terrible financial crisis which wrecked, 
hopelessly, thousands of merchants throughout the country. 
The firm continued its business successfully till the year 1843, 
when, for reasons unknown to the writer, it was brought to a 
termination. 

General Warren, who was now only twenty-seven, started 
in pursuit of a location in the North Western States, and, after 
traveling through nearly all of them, finally selected Iowa 
in which to make a home. He arrived in Burlington in the 
month of August, 1844. In Burlington, he first engaged in 

541 



542 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

mercantile pursuits; but, being at that day somewhat of a 
politician he was, in the spring of 1849, appointed by President 
Taylor Assistant Post Master General. I need not speak of 
the great credit that accrued to our State from his connection 
with this office. The judgment he discovered in his appoint- 
ments and the great business tact he displayed in all matters 
connected with the Postal Department challenged general 
attention; and I think it may be said that, in his fitness for 
this office, he had been before unequalled. Unfortunately, 
General Warren's connection with the Post Office Department 
was of only two year's duration ; for, when Fillmore was 
cajoled into signing the new edition of the Fugitive Slave Law, 
the general refused to be connected longer with that Adminis- 
tration, and tendered his resignation. 

His connection with Fillmore's Administration, and the 
spirit he showed in refusing to join hands with unprincipled 
men, in the furtherance of that policy which has so nearly 
precipitated the nation in ruin, made him a prominent public 
man; and the year following his resignation he was made 
Secretary of the National Executive Committee in the Scott 
Presidential Campaign. 

Retiring now from public life, he established himself in 
the banking business in the city of Burlington ; but in this 
enterprise he was unsuccessful ; for, in the year 1857, he failed 
with large liabilities. Enterprising and public spirited, he was 
all the time alive to all political questions, but more especially 
to the great leading issue, which was being tried so slowly but 
surely; and there was never a Presidential, and rarely a State 
canvass, in which he did not take the stump. He took an 
active part in the Presidential Campaign of 1860, and, after the 
election of Mr. Lincoln, stood prominent among those whose 
names were being used for the position of Post Master General. 
His former position in the Post Office Department, I am 



FITZ HENRY WAEREN. 543 

advised, was tendered him ; but this he declined. He entered 
the War of the Rebellion in the summer of 1861, as colonel of 
the First Iowa Cavalry— one of the first volunteer cavalry- 
regiments mustered into the United States service. 

But, in passing, I should not omit stating that General War- 
ren was one of those who, in the early stages of the war, 
believed the fate of the Confederacy would be decided by the 
fall of the rebel Capital. His opinions he published to the 
world in his celebrated letters— "On to Richmond." It was 
said at the time that these letters were the cause of the Bull 
Run disaster; but, had the weak-hearted Patterson been as 
prompt to duty as McDowell, these very letters would have 
made General Warren one of the chief heroes of the rebellion. 
In that case, Greeley would never have denied their authorship. 

At the suggestion of General Warren, the 1st Iowa Cavalry 
was, I think, tendered to the General Government and 
accepted, under a resolution of the Iowa General Assembly. 
It rendezvoused at Burlington, and in the early part of October 
reported at Benton Barracks, Missouri. In the latter part of 
that month, the 1st and 2d Battalions of the regiment were 
ordered to Central and Western Missouri, and stationed, by 
companies, at different points, to secure order and to protect 
the country from guerrilla incursions. The 3d Battalion, under 
Colonel Warren, remained at Benton Barracks through the 
following Winter, and until the 6th of March, 1862, when that 
was also ordered into the field. 

Colonel Warren was promoted to the rank of brigadier-gen- 
eral on the 20th day of August, 1862. In the winter of 1862-3 
he held a command under General Curtis, in Missouri. He 
was stationed at that point with head-quarters at Huston at the 
time of General Marmaduke's Invasion of Missouri, early in 
January of that year, and on receiving a telegram from Gen- 
eral Brown at Springfield, announcing the approach of the 



644 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

enemy, at once dispatched a part of his force, under Colonel 
Merrill, of the 21st Iowa, with orders to report at that place. 
The battle of Hartsville, in which the enemy in despite of his 
vastly superior numbers was severely handled, resulted from 
this movement. 

In the summer of 18G3, the name of General Warren was 
urged in the Union Gubernatorial Convention for the office of 
Governor of Iowa; and but for a heedless blunder he 
might have been the candidate for the position. From the 
first he was the choice of a plurality of the delegates and 
finally, as was thought, of a majority ; but the history of the 
thing is well known and need not be related. It illustrates 
well how some men rise suddenly above others to places of 
honor and responsibility. It was the grace and high-toned 
honor which the general displayed in withdrawing his name 
from the convention that won the heart of every delegate 
present, and which, had another vote been taken, would doubt- 
less have secured him the gubernatorial chair. 

In the fall of 1863, General Warren was sent to New Orleans, 
whence he wao ordered to Matagorda Island, and there assigned 
to a brigade command. He soon after succeeded General 
Washburne in the command of the 1st Division, loth Army 
Corps, which was stationed in the vicinity of Indianola, Texas. 
During the following Winter, he made several expeditions 
from this point into the adjacent country, the most important 
of which was that to Port Lavacca, just before Christmas. He 
was once attacked by a large cavalry force at Indianola ; but 
after considerable skirmishing, and the loss of several pris- 
oners, the enemy retired. In June, 1864, he was given a 
District command in Louisiana, with head-quarters at Baton 
Rouge, and by his administrative ability, succeeded in correct- 
ing many abuses. He was popular with his command, but 



FITZ HEXEY WAREEN. 545 

unpopular with interlopers, and with many of the citizens of 
his district. Among the many newspaper notices of his com- 
mand while stationed here, I give the following : 

" General Warren now in command of this district is estab- 
lishing a very rigid system of surveillance over the speculators 
and citizens here in regard to passes and permits for trafiicing 
through the lines : although it is one of the most difficult mat- 
ters to regulate, he will approximate as nearly to a solution of 
the problem as any general in the Department." 

During the summer of 1864, having lost his health, which 
was never vigorous, he was relieved from his command and 
permitted to come Xorth on leave of absence ; but many weeks 
of medical treatment being ineffectual in removing the disease 
he had contracted in a debilitating climate, he was finally, in 
consideration of this, placed on duty in Kew York city, where 
he is still serving. 

In personal appearance. General Warren is excelled by no 
officer of the volunteer or regular service. Tall, slender and 
erect, neat and precise in dress, and active and graceful in his 
movements, he is, in public and among strangers, the first to 
attract notice. As a military man, he possesses many excellent 
traits. He is energetic, has good executive ability, and is a fine 
disciplinarian. When, in the spring of 18G2, he left Benton Bar- 
racks with the 3d Battalion of his regiment, there was not an 
equal number of men in the regular or volunteer service more 
perfect in drill and general efficiency than these. But, in his 
military career, if we are to judge by his reputation, he has 
been only ordinarily successful. The reason why he has failed 
to attain that distinction which his talent and military taste 
insured, is known by those who hold high authority at the 
National Capital. 

The general's native talent is great and versatile, and enables 
him to attain eminence in any public position : indeed, he has 
never failed, as a public man, to acquit himself with credit. 

35 



646 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

As a public speaker, he is polished, eloquent and forcible, r 
Iowa has many more popular men than he, but few more able, i 
His great independence of character and the bitterness with 
which he has been accustomed to treat his opponents has been 
an impediment to his popularity. 

General Warren is graceful and dignified in his manners, is a 
rapid, though not a garrulous talker, and has a voice of won- 
derful capacity. To show its power it may be stated that, in 
drilling a brigade of troops, he was accustomed to give all 
commands inva voce, dispensing with all aids and orderlies. 



1 



COLONEL JAMES OTIS GOWER. 

SECOND COLONEL, FIRST CAVALRY. 

James Otis Gower, the successor of General Warren to the 
colonelcy of the 1st Iowa Cavalry, is a son of James H. 
Gower, Esq., of Iowa City, and a native of Abbot, Maine, 
where he was born on the 30th of May, 1834. In 1839, he 
accompanied his fiithcr's ilimily West, and settled in Iowa 
City, where he has since made his home. He was educated at 
Knox College, Illinois, and at the Kentucky Military Institute. 
He graduated at the last named Institution in 1855, when, 
returning home, he, in partnership with his father, engaged in 
the banking business at Iowa City. He followed this business 
till the spring of 1S(;1, the time of his entering the service. 

In June and July, ISGl, Colonel Gower enlisted Company F, 
1st Iowa Cavalry, and was elected its captain. On the 1st of 
September following, he was promoted to the majority of the 
2d Battalion of that regiment, which rank he held till the 2Gth 
of August, 18G2, when he was made its colonel. 

To convey a correct idea of the character of services per- 
formed by the 1st Iowa Cavalry from the time Colonel Gower 
assumed command of it until the date of his resignation, and, 
in fact, from the time of its entering the field until the time 
above mentioned, I can not do better than to quote briefly 
from the monthly reports of the regiment. I select the month 
of October, 1862, because it was the month in which Colonel 
Gower first commanded the regiment as its colonel. 

"October Ist.-Marched twelve miles toward Mt. Vernon. 
2d.-Passed through Mt. Vernon and camped on Centre Creek, 
Lawrence county, Missouri. 3d.-At 7 P. M., with brigade 

547 



548 IOWA COLONELS AXD REGIMENTS. 

and division marehed through Jollification to Newtonia, New- 
ton county, arriving at 7 A. M. 4th instant, and finding and 
engaging the enemy in a slight skirmish, with no casualties 
however to the regiment. 9th.— Marched from Newtonia to 
Gadfly, Barry county, Missouri ; and 12th from Gadfly to Cass- 
ville, Barry county. 16th. — Regiment transferred to 2d Brig- 
ade, 3d Division, Army of the Frontier. 17th.— Moved camp 
to McMurtry's Springs. 18th.— Marched all day and camped 
on Sugar Creek, near Bentonville, Arkansas. 20th.— Left 
camp on Sugar Creek at 5 P. M., marched all night and the 
next day, and 'stood to horse' on White River. Night of 21st 
and 22d, marched to Glade Creek, near Huntsville : took sup- 
per and marched all night to camp on White River. 23d.— 
Marched to INIudtown, thence toward Fayetteville, thence back 
to Cross Hollows, Benton county, Arkansas, into camp at Val- 
ley Springs. 27th.— Ten companies of the regiment marched 
at 9 P. M. to a point eight miles south-east of Fayetteville, and 
had a slight skirmish with the enemy on the morning of the 
28th. 28th.— Quarter-:Master Samuel C. Dickerson killed by 
guerrillas. 29th.— Scout of ten companies returned to camp 
at Valley Springs." 

The marches and counter-marches made by this regiment 
during the month of October, 18G2, are but a fair sample of its 
labors for the entire year following. 

In the month of November, 1SG2, the regiment marched four 
hundred miles, visiting Elkhorn Tavern, McMurtry's Springs, 
Crane Creek, Ozark, AVhite Oak Springs, Wilson's Creek, and 
Yellville, Arkansas. In the last five days of the month, more 
than half this distance was accomplished by the regiment. 
Leaving Wilson's Creek on the morning of the 2oth, it reached 
Yellville on the 27th, and on the evening of the 30th instant 
arrived again at its camp on Wilson's Creek. These marches, 
made as they were in the wet season of the year, and many of 
them in the night-time, fill a civilian with amazement; but 
the marches of themselves give no idea of the fatigue, hard- 
ships and dangers endured. The regiment was often divided 
into small detachments, and when moving from one point to 



JAMES (). GOWEH. 549 

another, these brave fellows had little assurance of their safety; 
for the country was full of guerrillas and scouting-parties of the 
enemy, ready to decoy them into ambuscades, or, if his num- 
bers would justify, attack them in more honorable warfare. 
Whether on the march or resting in camp, the most active 
vigilance had to be maintained— some resting and sleeping, 
while others watched. 

One of the most noteworthy engagements in which the 1st 
Iowa Cavalry took quite a conspicuous part, was that of Prairie 
Grove, Washington county, Arkansas. On the evening of the 
3rd of December, 1862, the 1st Iowa, with its brigade and divi- 
sion, was encamped near Wilson's Creek, Missouri, when 
orders were received to march hastily to the relief of Briga- 
dier-General James G. Blunt, then stationed at Cane Hill, 
Arkansas. The regiment broke camp near mid-night and 
marched with the main column as far as Elkhorn. From 
that point the 1st and 2d Battalions, with the balance of the 
brigade, proceeded hurriedly at day-light on the morning of 
the Gth, and reached Cane Hill safely at mid-night, having for 
eighteen consecutive hours been constantly in the saddle. The 
3d Battalion of the regiment w'as left behind to guard the train 
of the infantry troops, under the immediate command of Gen- 
eral Ilerron. How the rebel General Hindman, leaving Gen- 
eral Blunt at Cane Hill, had hurried out to Prairie Grove with 
the principal portion of his army, for the purpose of crushing 
General Herron before a junction could be formed by the Un- 
ion forces, is well known. Even on the afternoon of the Gth 
instant, a considerable portion of the rebel force had arrived 
on the Prairie Grove battle-ground ; for in the evening of that 
day, the 1st Iowa Cavalry in passing through the valley, had 
seen them on the hills on either side of the road. 

At day-light on Sunday morning, the 7th, Colonel Gower 



550 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

had the 1st and 2d Battalions of his regiment in their saddles, 
ready to lead Blunt's advance in the direction of Fayetteville; 
for the jjlans of the enemy had already been divined. To this 
advance the enemy made but slight opposition since, as already 
stated, his main force was at Prairie Grove. It was near noon 
when Ilerron opened the engagement, and General Blunt, then 
seven miles distant, heard distinctly the reports of the artil- 
lery. His rout was necessarily circuitous; but he pushed 
rapidly on, and just before sun-down came on the rear and left 
flank of the enemy, who was just then rejoicing at the pros- 
pects of victory. The rest is well known. As was natural, 
the gratitude of Generals Herron and Blunt was mutual: 
Herron saved Blunt and Blunt saved Ilerron from ruinous 
defeat. In the advance from Cane Hill the 1st Iowa 
Cavalry was repeatedly engaged with the enemy's skirmishers, 
and yet its loss was only one man wounded and two captured. 
With the expedition to Van Buren on the Arkansas River, 
which the 1st Iowa Cavalry accompanied and in which were 
captured one hunch-ed prisoners and five river steamers, closed 
the year 1862. 

The character of service of the 1st Iowa Cavalry did not 
change with the opening of the new year of 18G3. The regi- 
ment still continued its journeyings from one point to another, 
in pursuit of guerrillas and small detachments of the enemy, 
and principally under the command of Major, now Lieutenant- 
Colonel J. W. Caldwell ; for Colonel Gower was in command 
of a brigade. Of the many laborious marches performed by 
the 1st Iowa Cavalry, in the eight months following the first of 
January, 1863, the most noteworthy one is that executed in 
April and May of that year, where some five hundred men of 
the regiment, under command of Major J. W. Caldwell, 
scoured a principal portion of South Eastern Missouri, in pur- 



JAMES O. GOWER. 651 

(Suit of the rebel cavalry force under General Marmaduke. 
I Since the first of January, 1863, and previous to the time of the 
I above named expedition, the regiment had marched more than 
three hundred miles, and had visited Huntsville, Dry Fork, 
Crooked Creek, Kingston, where extensive saltpetre works 
were destroyed by Major Caldwell; Yellville, Arkansas; For- 
syth, Missouri ; Finley Fork, near which place six members of 
the regiment were captured; Mountain Grove, where the regi- 
ment received new Sharp's carbines ; and Lake Springs. 

To create a diversion in fiivor of Lieutenant-General John 
C. Pemberton at Vicksburg, the rebel General Marmaduke, 
with a cavalry force reported to be seven thousand strong, 
had marched from Arkansas into South Eastern Missouri, and, 
in the latter part of April, 1863, was threatening Pilot Knob and 
Cape Girardeau. The authorities were even alarmed at St. 
Louis, and aU available troops stationed at that point were 
hastily forwarded to Pilot Knob, to check a further advance of 
the enemy. At the time in question, the 1st Iowa Cavalry was 
encamped at Lake Springs, Missouri, seventy-five miles dis- 
tant from Pilot Knob. On the morning of the 21st of April, 
Major Caldwell, with a detachment of five hundred men from 
his regiment, started for the last named place, where, arriving 
in the afternoon of the 23d, he remained till the 25th instant, 
awaiting the approach of the enemy. Report now placed 
Marmaduke at Fredericktown, twenty miles east from Pilot 
Knob; and, on the 25th, General Vaudever with the cavalry 
marched for that place; but the enemy retired on his approach, 
and he entered the town without opposition. On the 26th he 
proceeded in the direction of Cape Girardeau and arrived at 
Jackson that same evening. But in the meantime it had been 
learned that the enemy, who had attacked Cape Girardeau, had 
been repulsed, and were now encamped on the Dallas road, 
only a few miles distant from Jackson. 



552 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

The celebrated night-attack was now planned, which, by its 
skillful execution, completely routed the rebel forces. The 
chief credit of this affair belongs to the detachment of the 1st 
Iowa Cavalry under Major Caldwell, the troops selected to 
make the charge. " At midnight [I quote from the records of 
the regiment] Lieutenant Hursh, Company F, with a platoon 
of eight men and two howitzers, approached within thirty 
yards of the unsuspecting rebels, discharged howitzers and 
carbines, and then joined the column, which, with sabers 
drawn, charged upon and routed the entire force, killing many 
and capturing horses, arms and camp-equipage. Not a man 
of the regiment was harmed." Major Caldwell returned with 
his command to Lake Springs on the 14th of May. The 
detachment had been absent twenty-four days, and had trav- 
eled nearly five hundred miles. 

Colonel Gower is of medium size, rather slender in person, 
and weighs about one hundred and sixty pounds. He has 
light-brown hair, a light complexion, and gray eyes. In dress 
he is exceedingly neat and tasty. He never looks dirty nor 
slovenly, no matter what he is doing. When in the service 
he was celebrated for his cleanly appearance, whether in camp 
or on the march. The colonel is quiet and rather dignified in 
his manners with strangers, but not so with his friends. He 
is fond of fun, but likes to enjoy it in a quiet way. 

As a soldier, he was brave and a good disciplinarian. Dis- 
ability was the cause of his resignation. 



COLONEL DANIEL ANDERSON. 

THIRD COLONEL, FIRST CAVALRY. 

Daxiel Anderson was born in the year 1821, in the State 
of Indiana. His history, prior to coming to Iowa, I am unac- 
quainted with. He settled in Albia, Monroe county, of this 
State, in about the year 1843, and established himself in the 
■ practice of the law, which he continued to follow till the time 
of entering the service. In July and August, 18G1, he enlisted 
Company H, 1st Iowa Cavalry, was elected its captain, and 
held this rank till the 10th of July, 1862, when he was promo- 
ted to the majority of the 3d Battalion of his regiment. In 
the following August, he was made lieutenant-colonel, which 
rank he held till the 21st of August, 1863, when he was pro- 
moted to the colonelcy of the regiment. On the expiration of 
his three-years' term of service he resigned his commission, 
and returned to his home in Albia. 

During the colonelcy of Mr. Anderson the 1st Iowa Cavalry, 
as a regiment, met the enemy for the first time in a regular 
engagement. On the 11th day of June, 1863, nearly a month 
after the regiment had returned from its scout in South Eastern 
Missouri, the 1st Iowa Cavalry in company with the 8th 
Missouri Cavalry left Lake Springs for Pilot Knob, where it 
reported to Colonel J. M. Glover commanding the 2d Brigade 
of the 1st Cavalry Division. Plans for the Arkansas Expedi- 
tion and the capture of Little Eock which were matured after 
the fall of Vicksburg had been conceived in the month of June 
preceding ; and in anticipation of this movement the 1st Cav- 
alry Division was ordered south from Missouri. On the 1st of 

553 



554 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

July the 1st Iowa Cavalry with its brigade and division left its 
camp at Arcadia, Missouri, and passing through Frederick- 
town and Bloomfield, crossed the St. Francis River in the 
vicinity of Chalk Bluff, Arkansas. From this point the com- 
mand moved due south through Gainsville, and Jonesboro, 
Arkansas, and on the 28th instant arrived within some three 
miles of Wittsburg, where it went into camp. Here the divis- 
ion remained several days, and until dispatches could be 
forwarded to Helena, which was one hundred miles distant. 
The party which carried these dispatches, and which consisted 
of only fifty men, was under the command of Captain Jenks 
and Lieutenant Hursh of the 1st Iowa Cavalry; and the 
success which attended the movement did these officers great 
credit; for the rout which was unknown to them, and which 
lay all the way through the enemy's country, was passed 
without accident or the loss of a single man. 

With the return of this party, the division broke camp and 
continued tho march to White River, which it struck on the 
evening of the 8th of July, near Clarendon. The organization 
of General Steele's command being now completed, he marched 
out from Helena to form a junction with the cavalry of General 
Davidson, at Clarendon. White River was crossed success- 
fully, and now the expedition to Little Rock was well under 
way. By order of General Steele, General Davidson, on the 
morning of the 22d of July, led the advance in the direction of 
Deadman's Lake and Brownsville; while the infantry, under 
General Steele, moved up the river to Duvall's Bluff, and 
proceeded from that direction. No opposition was made to 
General Davidson's advance until the 25th, when General Mar- 
maduke made his appearance with his rebel cavalry. All that 
day skirmishing was carried on with the enemy, who, driven 
back to and through Brownsville, were on the following day 



DANIEL ANDERSON. 555 

forced into their works on Bayou Metoe; and at Bayou Metoe, 
the 1st Iowa Cavalry, as a regiment, first met the enemy in 

, battle. Bayou Metoe, a miry, sluggish stream, is crossed by 
the Brownsville and Little Rock road, at a point about four- 

! teen miles east of the last named place. At the time in ques- 
tion, it was spanned by a wooden bridge ; and the object of the 
charge of the 1st Iowa Cavalry was to save this bridge from 
burning; for the enemy, after falling back to the west side of 

. the stream, had fired it, to prevent pursuit. On the east side 
of Bayou Metoe, and nearly three-quarters of a mile distant 
from it, is a sharp, narrow ridge of land, which is covered with 

I brush, and runs nearly parallel with the stream. Along this 
the enemy had constructed earth-works, which, after being 
driven from Brownsville, they had occupied. 

On the afternoon of the 2Gth of August, General Davidson's 
van-guard, which consisted of a detachment of the 3d Missouri 
Cavalry, was moving along the road and had come within 
about a mile of the above named rebel works, when they were 
greeted with a six-pound solid shot. It struck the ground in 
their front, and ricochetting killed one man and two horses. 
Word was sent back to General Davidson, who was at Browns- 
ville, and the next morning he came to the front. The expe- 
dient which he adopted to dislodge the enemy was a novel one. 
He directed a bass drum to be beaten that the enemy might 
infer the approach of infantry ; and the ruse succeeded admi- 
rably, for they left without offering further resistance. Retir- 
ing to the west side of the bayou, they fired the bridge, seeing 
which, General Davidson called for the 1st Iowa Cavalry to 
charge and save it. Colonel Anderson led his regiment and 
had arrived within some three hundred yards of the bridge 
when the enemy, secreted in thick brush to the right, delivered 
a deadly volley of musketry. The colonel's horse was wounded 



556 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

and frightened, and took the colonel to the rear. The 
regiment dashed on with Lieutenant-Colonel Caldwell at its 
head ; but on reaching the bayou the enemy were found in 
strong works just beyond the opposite bank. It was impossi- 
ble to save the bridge, and after exchanging shots with the 
enemy for upward of an hour the regiment retired. 

Further pursuit of the enemy in this direction was therefore 
rendered impossible, since at this point the bayou was deep 
and miry; and, stationing pickets near the crossing, General 
Davidson returned to Brownsville. From this time till the 
8th of August the 1st Iowa Cavalry remained in Camp at 
Brownsville, and during this time the character of the country 
and the position of the enemy were thoroughly reconnoitered. 
General Steele in the meantime having determined to move 
against Little Rock by ,way of the river-road the cavalry, on 
the morning of the last named date, led the advance in that 
direction ; and in the evening of that same day General David- 
son bivouacked only one mile north of the Arkansas River, and 
ten miles east of the doomed city. 

The next day the 1st Iowa, having crossed the Arkansas, 
took a distinguished part in leading Steele's army into Little 
Rock. 

On the 2Gthof November, Lieutenant-Colonel Caldwell, with 
two hundred and fifty men of his regiment, left camp at Little 
Rock, and moved down the Arkansas River to Pine Bluff. 
The enemy were reported advancing on that place, and he was 
sent forward to reinforce the garrison. Lieutenant-Colonel 
H. C. Caldwell, of the 3d Iowa Cavalry, in command of a 
brigade, also joined in this movement; but before the arrival 
of any of these troops. Colonel Clayton, of the 5th Kansas 
Cavalry, with his gallant little garrison numbering not over 
four hundred men, had engaged and beaten off the rebel force. 



DANIEL ANDERSON. 557 

7or the number of troops engaged, this is one of the most 
)rilliaut battles ever fought in Arkansas; and, for his success 
n defending Pine Bluff, Colonel Clayton received the highest 

jommendations of General Steele. 

Immediately after arriving at Pine Bluff, the commands of 
both Lieutenant-Colonels H. C. and J. W. Caldwell started in 
pursuit of the enemy, and proceeded as far west as Arkadel- 
phia; but in all that distance no enemy was encountered. 
The detachment from the 1st Iowa Cavalry returned to Little 
Rock on the 1st of December, and during the scout had 
traveled not less than two hundred and fifty miles. From 
the 1st to the 31st of December, 18G3, the 1st Iowa Cavalry, in 
detachments, was constantly on the scout. In November, I 
have mentioned only that expedition in which Lieutenant- 
Colonel J. W. Caldwell took part; for that was the most 
important; but other detachments of the regiment were also 
on the scout; and to show the amount of labor performed by 
the entire regiment, it need only be stated that the aggregate 
number of miles marched by the different companies and 
detachments in the month of November was three thousand 
and seventy-nine miles. In December, the aggregate of miles 
marched was two thousand eight hundred and eighty-two. It 
has been supposed the cavalry was a lazy arm of the service; 
but these figures should correct this idea. 

The most important of the expeditions joined in by the 1st 
Iowa Cavalry in the month of December, was that which, 
leaving Little Rock on the 15th instant, marched south through 
Arkadelphia, and to within fifteen miles of Camden on the 
Washita River. The detachment from the 1st Iowa, which 
consisted of some two hundred and sixty men, under Captain 
Jenks, engaged the enemy, dismounted, a few miles south of 
Princeton, and drove them from the works, killing and wound- 
ing some, and capturing several prisoners. The history of this 



558 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

affair seems incredible. The enemy were eiglit hundred, and 
holding a strong position; but they were routed by less than 
three hundred men, losing many of their arms, their wagons 
and camp-equipage. 

After the occupation of Little Rock, Colonel Glover was taken 
sick and was succeeded in the command of his brigade by 
Colonel Anderson of the 1st Iowa Cavalry, who retained the 
command for several weeks. And it was during this time 
that he was placed under arrest for writing a sharp letter to 
Lieutenant-Colonel Chandler, General Steele's Provost-Marshal 
General. He was, however, after the lapse of several weeks, 
released without trial, and returned to the command of his 
brigade. On account of sickness, which prostrated him just 
before the expedition started, Colonel Anderson did not 
accompany General Steele on his Camden march ; but soon 
recovering, he assumed command of the Post of Little Rock, 
which he held till the expedition returned. During the absence 
of his regiment on veteran furlough, he was placed in com- 
mand of the non- veterans ; but before the regiment returned, 
he resigned his commission and returned to his home in Albia. 

In person, Colonel Anderson is tall and erect. He can not 
be less than six feet and three inches in hight. He has 
regular features, brown hair, and grey eyes. He is dignified 
in his manners; he has large self-esteem, and an arbitrary 
disposition. It was this, with his quick temper, which gave 
him trouble in the service. He is a man of good judgment; 
and though he never met with great success in the practice of 
his profession, he is regarded as a sound lawyer. He is a fair 
public sj)eaker; but too prolix to be entertaining. 



COLONEL WILLIAM THOMPSON. 

FOURTH COLONEL, FIRST CAVALRY. 

William Thompson was born in the State of Pennsylvania, 
in about the year 1814. He came to Iowa while it was yet a 
Territory, and settled in Burlington, where he was at one time 
the editor of a democratic paper. He became, soon after com- 
ing to the country, quite a distinguished politician, and, in 
1848, was elected to Congress. At the time of entering the 
service, he was a resident of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, and a prac- 
ticing lawyer; for that was his profession. Colonel Thompson 
entered the service as captain of Company E, 1st Iowa Cavalry, 
the company which he had recruited in Henry county, in the 
months of June and July, 1861. Holding this rank until the 
5th of April, 1863, he was at that time promoted to a majority 
of the regiment, and in August, 1864, was made colonel. 

In the sketch of Colonel Thompson, I shall include a portion 
of the history of the 1st Iowa Cavalry, which was made during 
the colonelcy of Mr. Anderson; for I can do so with propriety, 
since during this time the regiment was not commanded by 
Colonel Anderson. 

Having passed the previous Fall and Winter in scouting in 
the vicinity of Little Rock, the 1st Iowa Cavalry in the open- 
ing of Spring joined the command of General Steele in the 
march to Camden. The regiment was brigaded with the 3d 
Missouri and the 10th Illinois Cavalry, these troops being the 
same that had been organized into a brigade command nearly 
a year before at Pilot Knob, Missouri. The brigade command- 
er was not the same. Colonel Glover, a brave and good man, 
had been compelled to leave the service from disability, and 

559 



560 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

Colonel Anderson, as the ranking oflBicer, became his successor. 
But, as has already been stated. Colonel Anderson was, on the 
eve of General Steele's departure, seized with sudden illness, 
and Lieutenant-Colonel Caldwell, of the 1st Iowa Cavalry, 
succeeded to the command of the brigade. There had also 
been a change in the division commander. After the posses- 
sion of Little Rock, the radicalism of General Davidson had 
so conflicted with the conservatism of General Steele, as to 
produce repeated misunderstandings ; and the report was that, 
by the mutual efforts of these officers, General Davidson was 
relieved and given a command elsewhere. General David- 
son's successor was General E. A. Carr, of Pea Ridge 
notoriety. Major, now Colonel Thompson, commanded the 
1st Iowa Cavalry, and thus commanded, and thus associated, 
the regiment marched on its most eventful campaign. 

The leading events of the Camden Expedition are related 
elsewhere. It was one of great dangers and hardships, and the 
cavalry portion of the command, which led the advance, was 
hardly ever out of peril. From Prairie de Anne, (than which 
there is not a prettier little district of country in the Old or 
New World) to Camden, the enemy were never out of view. 
Wherever the character of the country was favorable, they 
were sure to be found in position, and during the whole of this 
distance, their skirmishers were constantly in the front, to 
harass the cavalry-advance. A detachment of the 1st Iowa 
Cavalry, and one of the 3d Missouri Cavalry were the first 
troops to enter Camden. Two and a half miles west of Cam- 
den, (and General Steele marching down the south-west side of 
the Washita River, entered the city from the west) the road 
forks. The left-hand road enters the city from the west, and 
the right-hand one from the south-west. Starting from these 
forks, two hundred and fifty men from the 1st Iowa Cavalry, 



WILLIAM THOMPSON. 561 

and two hundred and fifty from the 3d Missouri Cavah-y, dashed 
into Camden. The Iowa troops under Lieutenant-Colonel 
Caldwell, taking the right-liand road, entered the city just 
before sun-down, and almost simultaneous with those of the 
3d Missouri Cavalry. The enemy offered no resistance, for 
they had fled to avoid capture. 

On entering Camden on the evening of the loth of April, 
General Steele was unwilling to believe he had reached the 
terminus of his march southward. Nor when the Old Flag 
was raised on the Court-House did he think that it must soon 
be hauled down, and he be compelled to march back hurriedly 
to Little Rock. 

But the 1st Iowa Cavalry was to go no further. Indeed, its 
leaving Little Rock was a matter of its own choosing ; for the 
regiment had re-enlisted as veterans, and the first of March 
had been fixed as the time for its departure North. But Gen- 
eral Steele had said "You had better go along, for we shall 
need you;" and where is the Iowa regiment that would not 
have done likewise? The horses of the 1st Iowa Cavalry were 
the individual property of the regiment, and by a general 
order these had to be sold and transferred to the Government, 
before the regiment could start back to Little Rock. It was a 
matter of irksome delay, but it saved the regiment from 
capture; for it was to accompany the brigade and train that 
were surrounded and captured at Mark's Mills, Arkansas on the 
25th instant. 

The 2d Brigade, 3d Division, 7th Army Corps, Lieutenant- 
Colonel F. M. Drake commanding, left Camden for Pine Bluff 
for supplies, at five o'clock on the morning of the 23d of April, 
1864. Lieutenant-Colonel J. W. Caldwell, in command of his 
regiment, was not able to leave until twenty-four hours later. 

The regiment had disposed of their horses and, with the 

36 



562 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

exception of the officers, were to travel on foot. The order 
directing the regiment to sell and transfer their horses, also 
required them to turn over their arms ; but against this Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Caldwell protested, and they were allowed to 
retain them. This was most fortunate ; for their trusty arms 
proved their salvation. Early in the morning of the 24th 
instant, the 1st Iowa Cavalry crossed the Washita, and started 
in rapid pursuit of the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Drake. 
The country was full of the enemy's scouts. The citizens were 
sullen, and to all questions gave ominous answers. At the 
same time rumors were repeated of the defeat of Banks ; all 
of which justly made Lieutenant-Colonel Caldwell apprehen- 
sive of pending danger. He therefore called on General Carr 
for a cavalry-escort, which was reluctantly granted; but it 
turned back on the morning of the second day's march, and 
proved of no service. Camp was pitched on the evening of 
the 24th instant, about twenty-five miles from Camden. 

The next morning, the march was resumed at day-light, and 
by great exertion, the edge of Moro Bottom was reached at ten 
o'clock. Here had been the encampment of Lieutenant-Colonel 
Drake's command only the night before, and, by hard march- 
ing, Lieutenant-Colonel Caldwell hoped to overtake that 
command that night. The men of his regiment now ceased to 
be apprehensive for their safety, and began to indulge in 
dreams of home-greetings, and to devise plans by which 
they could most surprise their friends. But they had not quite 
reached the stream from which Moro Bottom derives its name, 
before a cry of alarm was heard in the front; and in the next 
instant all was confusion. 

That morning the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Drake 
had been attacked by a superior force of the enemy — not less I 
think than seven thousand, and after a brief but most spirited 
fight, the greater portion of it captured. The camp-followers 



WILLIAM THOMPSON". 563 

and teamsters, cutting loose the mules from the train, 
J mounted them, and at full speed rode back in the direction of 
, Camden ; and from one of these Lieutenant-Colonel Caldwell 
I learned of that morning's disaster. To conceive the terror 
j with which these poor fellows were overwhelmed is impossible. 
{Stripped of all but their boots, pants and shirts, hatless, 
i coatless and covered with mud, their eyes protruding, and 
i their hair standing on end, they came at full run and shouting 
from their already hoarse throats : "We are all lost! they are 
all lost! we are all lost! they are all lost:" To the repeated 
calls of Lieutenant-Colonel Caldwell, ^^Stop, stopT^ they paid 
no attention, and the only way he could learn what had 
happened was, by laying his strong hand on the shoulder of 
one as he was passing, and holding him fost till he had told the 
story. But he was not half done, when the report of musketry 
was heard at the front. Some four hundred of the enemy's 
cavalry were in pursuit of the fugitives, their object being the 
capture of the mules on which they were escaping. Reinforce- 
ments were at once sent forward to the advance-guard, which 
had arrived at the bridge over the Moro in time to prevent the 
enemy from crossing. Quite a sharp engagement followed, 
during which Lieutenant-Colonel Caldwell burned his small 
train with its contents. This was the cause of much regret to 
his men; for in their saddle-bags were many cherished 
souvenirs which they had for a long time preserved as gifts for 
their friends ; but it was impossible in the deep mud to turn 
the wagons and drive them to the rear. The enemy finally 
ceased their attack and riding down the creek, disappeared 
and gave no further trouble. 

The 1st Iowa Cavalry now returned to near Camden, and 
accompanied General Steele to Little Rock. 

The departure North of this gallant regiment on veteran 



564 IOWA COLONELS AND EEGIMENTS. 

furlough, was made the occasion by General Carr, of a very 
complimentary order to not only that regiment, but to the 
Iowa troops generally. The same order alluded in flattering 
terms to the gallant conduct of Lieutenant-Colonel J. W. Cald- 
well on the Camden Expedition. 

About the middle of July, 1864, its leave of absence having 
expired, the 1st Iowa Cavalry left Davenport for the front, via 
Cairo, Illinois ; but, on arriving at that place, was ordered by 
General Halleck to Benton Barracks, Missouri, where it 
remained until the 12th of the following August. At the last 
named date it was ordered to Mexico, Missouri ; and later was 
ordered on duty on the line of the Hannibal and St. Joseph 
Railroad. 

At the time of General Price's invasion of Missouri in the 
fall of 1864, the regiment was ordered to Jefferson City, and 
at that point joined the forces of General Rosecrans, and 
marched on the campaign that resulted in the expulsion of the 
rebel forces from the State. Returning to Warrensburg, Mis- 
souri, the regiment was there made the cavalry-escort of 
General Rosecrans, which conducted him back to St. Louis. 
After its arrival in that city, it was ordered into quarters at 
Benton Barracks, and in January, 1865, sent back to Little 
Rock, where Colonel Thompson joined it, and in the vicinity 
of which place it has since served. 

Colonel Thompson is a large man, weighing about one hun- 
dred and ninety pounds, and having black hair and eyes, and a 

dark complexion. He is reputed an able, intelligent man. 



BRIGADIER-GENERAL W. L. ELLIOTT. 

FIRST COLONEL, SECOND CAVALRY. 

Washington L. Elliott was the first regular army officer 
appointed to the colonelcy of an Iowa regiment. In the early 
history of the war, it was the opinion of Governor Kirkwood, 
and of a majority of the people, that none but men of military 
education could be safely entrusted with the command of a 
regiment of volunteers ; but it was all a mistake. 

The place of General Elliott's nativity, and the date of his 
birth, I have been unable to learn ; but in May, 1816, he was 
appointed from Pennsylvania to a second lieutenancy of 
mounted rifles, and served in the Mexican War. At the close 
of that war he served in New Mexico, and, in 1854, w^as pro- 
moted to a captaincy. In the fall of 1858, he distinguished 
himself in conflicts with the Navajoes, and, in the following 
year, was placed in command of Fort Bliss, Texas. 

Captain Elliott was commissioned colonel of the 2d Iowa 
Cavalry on the 14th day of September, 1861, and by his energy 
and military ability soon made for himself and his regiment 
a most enviable reputation. Indeed, it has often been claimed 
as regards the Iowa troops that the 2d Infantry, the 2d 
Cavalry, and the 2d Battery, are the star troops of their 
respective arms of. service; but this claim is certainly not 
founded in justice; though it may be conceded that the 2d 
Iowa Cavalry has done as much hard fighting as any other 

Iowa cavalry regiment. 

On the 19th of February, 1862, which is the date of the 
commencement of their field-service, the 2d Iowa Cavalry 

arrived at Bird's Point, Missouri. Having watched the 

565 



Om IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

movements of the enemy for several days in the direction of 
Belmont and Columbus, the regiment started on the 27th 
instant in pursuit of Jeff. Thompson towards New Madrid, 
and after a march of thirteen days through the almost impass- 
able swamps that here border the Mississippi, reached that 
place in time join the forces of General Pope in its capture. 
After the caj^ture of Island No. 10, in which a detachment of 
the 2d, under Lieutenant Schnitger, took a conspicuous part, 
the regiment sailed for Hamburg Landing on the Tennessee 
River. 

The services of the 2d Iowa and the 2d Michigan Cavalry 
regiments before Corinth, in the spring of 1862, gave to the 2d 
Brigade of General Pope's Cavalry Division a national reputa- 
tion. From the 29th of April, the date of the capture and 
burning of the enemy's camp at Monterey, Mississippi, till the 
30th of the following May, the 2d Iowa Cavalry took part in 
five distinct expeditions, and not less than ten skirmishes and 
engagements; and, in nearly all these operations, were joined 
by the 2d Michigan Cavalry, under the gallant Colonel Philip 
H. Sheridan. The most noteworthy of these expeditions is that 
which under Colonel Elliott in command of the 2d Brigade, 
left its camp near Farmington for Boonville, Mississippi, at 
one o'clock on the morning of the 27th of May, 1862. Connected 
with Colonel Elliott's exit from camp, is a laughable incident 
which I can not forbear relating. A new regiment, which 
had just come to the front, had its camp near the road over 
which Colonel Elliott passed. Its camp-guard was commanded 
by a lieutenant— an able lawyer, but at that time a green 
soldier. Soon after mid-night, hearing the heavy tramp of 
twenty-three hundred cavalry on a hard-beaten road, he sup- 
posed the enemy were upon him and, rushing to the tent of his 
Colonel, he broke through its fastenings, and thus reported: 



WASHINGTON L. ELLIOTT. 567 



"For God's sake, colonel get up: the enemy with ten thousand 
cavalry are upon us; and we are within half a mile of h— 1!" 

It was this Boonville Expedition of Colonel Elliott, which 
afforded General Pope the chief material for his celebrated 
report, of date, I think, the 3d of June, 1862; and it was 
really a most important affair. Moving from Farmington in 
a southerly direction, and crossing the Memphis and Charles- 
ton Railroad about ten miles west of luka. Colonel Elliott, 
from this point, marched in a south-westerly direction and, 
passing through the country intersected by the Tombigbee 
swamps, arrived before Boonville on the morning of the 30th 
of May, before day-light. The surprise was complete. Some 
two thousand prisoners were captured, the majority of them, 
however, being sick or convalescent. But the amount of rebel 
property destroyed was of chief importance. Beside three 
hundred kegs and barrels of powder, and large quantities of 
commissary-stores, ten thousand stand of arms and equipments 
to correspond, were destroyed. For his successes here. Colonel 
Elliot, was most highly complimented by General Pope. 

The most gallant achievement of the 2d Iowa Cavalry, while 

under Colonel Elliott, was its charge on the rebel battery at 

Farmington, Mississippi, on the morning of the 9th of May, 

1862. On the afternoon of the 8th of May, the divisions of 

Stanley and Payne, by order of General Pope, made an 

important reconnoissance in the direction of Corinth and 

Rienzi, surprising the enemy and driving them through and 

i beyond the little village of Farmington. Then, the Federal 

forces fell back to the east side of the village and bivouacked 

for the night. Colonel Loomis' Brigade in advance. Thus things 

i stood on the morning of the 9th when the guns of our sentinels 

' gave notice of the advance of the enemy. Chafed by the 

surprise of the day before, which lost them their advance- 



568 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

line, they were moving in force to restore it; but Pope was 
resolved on maintaining his advanced position, and hastily 
dispatched General Plummer's Brigade to take position to the 
right, and somewhat in advance of Colonel Loomis. But these 
dispositions were not completed when the enemy were seen 
advancing in column by division. Soon two regiments of 
Plummer's Brigade broke in confusion, and fled to the swamps 
in their rear, when his two remaining regiments had to be 
withdrawn from the field. 

Having hastily formed their line of battle just in rear of the 
large white house in the north-east portion of the town, and, 
where General Pope the day before had made his head- 
quarters, they threw forward their batteries, and commenced 
shelling the position of Colonel Loomis. And now comes the 
gallant charge of the 2d Iowa, which had already arrived at 
the front : 

"Moving the column to the top of the hill, I ordered Major 
Coon, with Companies H. G, C, and part of A, of the 2d Bat- 
talion, and Major Love's 3d Battalion, to charge the battery on 
our left in echelons of squadrons. Deploying the columns to 
the right and left when we had jjassed our infantry lines, we 
attacked the skirmishers and supports of the enemy, driving 
them in and killing and wounding some. The fire from the 
battery on our left, near the Farmington road, was very severe, 
but on account of the ground being impracticable, and the 
battery and supports protected by a fence, this could not be 
reached; yet the enemy's gunners evidently alarmed at the 
charge, ceased working their guns. Major Coon's Battalion, 
led by him, gallantly attacked the battery near the building 
known as the cotton-mill (the centre battery). Lieutenant 
Reily, commanding Company F of 3d Battalion, attacked and 
carried two guns in battery on our extreme right. The centre 
battery was fairly carried, the gunners driven from their 
guns, the enemy limbering up his guns without taking them 
off the field. Finding our horses badly blown from a long 
charge over rough ground, and the infantry of the enemy in 
great force, I under a heavy fire ordered all companies on my 



WASHINGTON L. ELLIOTT. 569 

right to retreat to the right and rear, forming on the swamp- 
road, and tliose on my left to join the regiment in this road. 
I ordered Major Hepburn to move to the rear, retaining Major 
Coon with two companies to pick up the wounded and 
scattered. My orders were carried out better than I could 
have expected. My chief bugler's bugle was rendered useless 
in the charge. Four of my orderlies had their horses killed, 
and two of the orderlies were shot out of their saddles while 
transmitting orders. 

"The conduct of officers and men was in every way com- 
mendable. Captains Lundy and Egbert, and Lieutenant Owen, 
were wounded near the enemy's guns; and Lieutenants Hor- 
ton, Moore and Schnilger, all had horses killed under them. 
Captain D. J. Crocker, and Lieutenant Moore, of Company H ; 
Captain McConnell, and Lieutenant Foster, of Company M; 
Captain Kendrick, of Company E; Captain Eaton, and Lieu- 
tenant Bilden, of Company L, all of the 1st Battalion, led in 
the finest manner by Major Hepburn, rode through the hottest 
fire, and were rallied by Major Hepburn on the right when 
retiring in fine style, forming in good order in rear of the 
swamp, to await orders. Major Coon, Captain H. Egbert, 
Captain William Lundy, Lieutenants Owen and Horton, of 
the L Battalion, led the charge on the right in the finest man- 
ner, riding boldly in advance of their commands, and in 
advance of the entire regiment. The daring of Lieutenant 
Qucal, commanding Company B, was conspicuous, cheering 
his men to the very muzzles of the enemy's guns. Captain 
Bishop, of Company I, and Captain Graves, of Company D, 
obeyed my orders promptly, under a heavy fire. Lieutenant 
Schnitger, acting regimental-adjutant, and Lieutenant Metcalf, 
battalion-adjutant, did their duty to my entire satisfaction. 
Before, and at the time of the charge. Captain Freeman and 
Lieutenant Eystra, with detachments of Companies A, G and 
H, dismounted as skirmishers, did excellent service in the 
swamps on our left, holding the enemy's skirmishers in check. 
There were about four hundred men in the charge. Our loss 
will scarcely exceed fifty killed and wounded, fifty horses 
killed, and fifty rendered unserviceable from wounds." 

Immediately after the 2d Cavalry had retired, the enemy 
advanced his infantry when, after a sharp fight between them 



670 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

and the brigade of Colonel Loomis, General Pope ordered his 
troops to withdraw to the east side of the creek. The enemy 
pursued no further. In this engagement, not only the Iowa 
troops, but, with the exceptions already mentioned, those 
from Illinois, Wisconsin and Missouri, distinguished them- 
selves. 

Dr. M. K. Taylor, afterward the able and courteous surgeon 
in charge of the United States General Hospital at Keokuk, 
was at the time surgeon of the 26th Illinois, Colonel Loomis, 
and was conspicuous in his efforts to rescue the wounded. He 
was among the last to leave the field, in charge of the dead 
and wounded. 

The 17th Iowa arrived at the front that evening, and biv- 
ouacked near the camp of the 2d Iowa Cavalry. That night we 
first saw the bodies of dead men killed in battle, and for the 
first time heard the piteous groans of the wounded, and wit- 
nessed their unmitigable agonies. 

For his promptness, and for his soldierly qualities discovered 
during the siege of Corinth and before. Colonel Elliott was 
promoted to brigadier-general, his commission dating the llth 
of June, 1862. He was soon after made Chief of Cavalry to 
General Pope, and not long after, accompanied that general to 
Washington, and served with him in his unfortunate campaign 
on the Potomac. After General Pope was relieved of his com- 
mand in the East, General Elliott accompanied him to St. Paul, 
Minnesota, where he remained till the winter of 1862-3. He 
was then transferred to the Army of the Cumberland, and 
made chief of Cavalry to General Thomas. 

General Elliott is a smallish man, with stooping shoulders, 
sharp features and gray eyes. He is a man of great energy, 
and has the reputation of being a splendid cavalry officer. 



BRIGADIER-GENERAL EDWARD HATCH. 

SECOND COLONEL, SECOND CAVALRY. 

The gallant j^oung Edward Hatch is one of the very best 
of the Iowa general officers. He was born in Maine, in the 
I year 1832. The town of his nativity, the character of his 
education, and the date of his removal to Iowa, I have failed 
I to learn. He was a resident of Muscatine, Iowa, as early as 
I 1858, and engaged in the lumber business with a Mr. Fullerton 
of that city. I regret that I can not give more of his history. 
In August, 1861, Mr. Hatch was made Major of the 2d Iowa 
j Cavalry. A few weeks later, he was commissioned Lieutenant- 
I Colonel of his regiment, and, on the promotion of Colonel 
Elliott to brigadier-general, in June 1862, he was made colonel. 
For gallant and meritorious services he was, in the spring of 
1864, appointed and confirmed a brigadier-general. He richly 
earned his promotion ; for, from the first, he has been a work- 
ing, fighting officer. 

General Elliott left the 2d Iowa Cavalry soon after the fall of 

Corinth ; and from that date I resume the history of the regi- 

I ment, first premising that it was under the command of 

i Lieutenant-Colonel Hatch from the time of its arrival before 

Corinth, Colonel Elliott being in command of the brigade to 

which it was attached. 

Since May, 18G2, the regiment's field of service has been 
principally in Tennessee and in Northern Alabama and Mis- 
sissippi. A full history of its operations can not be given in 
the limited space to which I am confined, and I shall therefore 
allude to only the most important items of its service. 
During the summer and fall of 1862, the regiment was 

571 



572 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

attached to the cavalry brigade of the gallant Philip H. Sheri- 
dan, and made its head-quarters, a chief j^ortion of the time, 
near Rienzi, Mississippi. After General Grant's unsuccessful 
march through Central Mississippi, in November, 1862, the 2d 
Iowa changed its head-quarters to La Grange, Tennessee. 
It was from that point the regiment moved out to co-operate 
with Colonel Grierson, at the time that officer started on his 
wonderful raid through Mississippi. Much interest attaches to 
this movement, and I therefore give briefly its antecedents 
and its results. 

"In accordance with previous instructions, [I quote from 
General Grant's official report] Major-General S. A. Hurlbut 
started Colonel B. H. Grierson with a cavalry force from La 
Grange, Tennessee, to make a raid through the central portion 
of the State of Mississippi, to destroy railroad and other public 
property, for the purpose of creating a diversion in favor of the 
army moving to the attack of Vicksburg. On the 17th of 
April, this expedition started, and arrived at Baton Rouge on 
the 2d of May, having successfully traversed the whole State of 
Mississippi. The expedition was skillfully conducted, and 
reflects great credit on Colonel Grierson and all of his com- 
mand. The notice given this raid by the Southern press con- 
firms our estimate of its importance." 

Colonel Hatch and the 2d Iowa did not accompany Colonel 

Grierson on this raid, but operated in other quarters, and in 

conjunction with him, so as to draw the attention of the enemy 

from the real movement, and thus secure the expedition a sure 

and unmolested start. For a full account of the part taken by 

the 2d Iowa in this movement, I can not do better than to give 

in full the official report of Colonel Hatch ; 

" Head-Quarters 2d Iowa Cavalrt, 
La Grange, Tennessee, April 27th, 1863. 

" Captain : 

"I have the honor to report : Complying with orders 
from Colonel Grierson, commanding 1st Cavalry Brigade, left 
camp with my regiment at La Grange, Tennessee, April 17th, 



r 



EDWARD HATCH. 573 



and marched with the brigade to the neighborhood of Ripley, 
Mississippi, and camped. 

" On the morning of the 18th of April, by order of Colonel 
Grierson, marched my regiment east of Ripley three miles, 
thence south-east through Molino, and camped five miles south 
of that place, skirmishing during the day with Smith's regi- 
ment of Partisan Rangers, organized near there at a place 
known as Chesterville. On the 19th, marched south-west, 
forming a junction with Colonel Grierson, five miles south of 
Pontotoc, Mississippi. There Major Love, of my regiment, 
was detached with a portion of the regiment to return to La 
Grange, reducing me to about five hundred men. 

"On the morning of the 20th, marched with Colonel Grierson 
thirteen mile south-east of Houston, and camped. On the 
morning of the 21st of April, complying with Colonel Griersou's 
order, I moved in rear of his column. At 3 o'clock A. M., left 
Colonel Grierson at the junction of the roads leading to Louis- 
ville, West Point and Columbus, thence to proceed to the 
railroad at West Point, destroying the railroad-bridge over the 
Okatibbayhah River, thence to move rapidly southward to 
Macon, destroying the railroad and government stores, and 
thence to find my way back north to La Grange, by the most 
practicable route. For some reason unknown to me, the col- 
umn did not move till 7 o'clock A. M. This delay, as the 
following report will show, was fatal to carrying out Colonel 
Grierson 's order. 

"At the point Colonel Grierson turned south from the direc- 
tion I was to travel, a detachment of my regiment moved with 
him four miles, then marched back to that point to obliterate 
the tracks of Colonel Grierson going south with the 6th and 7th 
Illinois Cavalry, which had been concentrating for some days 
in anticipation of a movement on Columbus. About 12 o'clock, 
on reaching the town of Palo Alto, I was attacked in rear and 
on each flank by a force under General Dolsen, consisting of 
Smith's Partisan Regiment, Bartoe's Regiment and Inge's 
Battalion. In my front, bet\veen me and West Point, was an 
Alabama Regiment, recently from Pensacola, with artillery— 
my front being well protected by the Hooka River. In the 
attack made by the enemy, a company in the rear was cut off 
and nearly all taken. The enemy then closed in on my fiank, 
and advanced in two lines upon my rear, with two flags of 



574 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

truce flying, enabling him to approach very close, my com- 
mand being at that time in a lane, with high fences and hedges 
upon either side, my men dismounted and well covered. 
Changing my front to the rear, I waited until the enemy were 
close upon me, and opened with my rifles and one two-pounder 
from the front, and with carbines on the flanks, breaking his 
lines, driving him back, pushing him about three miles, cap- 
turing arms and horses, and re-taking the company that was 
lost in the first attack. From that time until it was dark, it 
was a constant skirmish, the enemy having taken mine for the 
main column. Believing it was imjiortant to divert the ene- 
my's cavalry from Colonel Grierson, 1 moved slowly northward, 
fighting by the rear, crossing the Hooka E-iver, and drawing 
their force immediately in my rear. 

*' On the 22d, marched north near the Mobile and Ohio 
Railroad, the enemy continuing to follow, their forces aug- 
mented by all the citizens in the country, armed with shot- 
guns and hunting-rifles, firing constantly on our flank. At 4 
o'clock, P. M., attacked Okalona, driving out the enemy's 
cavalry and State forces, burning the barracks for five thousand 
men, and destroying stores and ammunition. I then marched 
north-west five miles, and camped. 

"On the 23d, marched north, and hearing that Chalmer's 
forces intended cutting me off", I destroyed the bridge over 
the Chivoppa Creek, to check the forces following me in the 
rear. Camped that night near Tupelo. On the 24th, marched 
north through Birmingham, where I was attacked in the rear 
by what I believe to be Chalmer's forces. At 10 o'clock, A. 
M., my ammunition giving out, I retreated slowly towards 
Molino, stopping occasionally to repel their charges, concealing 
my men at all favorable points with the two-pounder, which 
did excellent service. I waited till the enemy were nearly on 
me, when I opened a fire at short range, the enemy sufiering 
terribly, with small loss to me. In this way the attack was 
kept up for six miles, when the enemy was evidently tired, 
and with the exception of annoyance from guerrilla parties, 
we were not troubled by the enemy from that point to La 
Grange, where I arrived on the 26th. 

"We captured about three hundred shot-guns and rifles, 
mostly Enfield, which for want of transportation were 
destroyed, anc;! had but ten men killed, wounded and missing. 



EDWARD HATCH. 575 

I left camp with seventy rounds of ammunition, and had two 
on reaching it. I had decided, on reaching Okalona, to go 
south, but, upon examining my ammunition, I had but 
twenty-one rounds left, which did not warrant the movement. 
The fight at Palo Alto gave the enemy time to guard the 
railroad at West Point, and to prepare for an attack on 
Columbus, with some two thousand State troops, under Gen- 
eral Buggies. 

" I left camp with two hundred and fifty horses: worn out 
for want of proper and suflicient forage , they broke down at 
the end of the second day, and I mounted my men upon the 
mules from my train and borrowed mules. I have nearly 
mounted my regiment, returned the mules borrowed, and 
filled up my train, captured fifty prisoners and killed and 
wounded not less than one hundred of the enemy. 

''The fight at Palo Alto, diverting the enemy from Colonel 
Grierson, has, undoubtedly, given him thirty-six hours' start." 
The raid of Colonel Grierson, to which the operations above 
detailed were collateral, ranks among the first of the war, for 
daring and success; but the "Patriotism of Illinois" is not 
impartial in declaring that the entire credit of the aflair belongs 
to Illinois officers. Had not Colonel Hatch, by his maneuver- 
ing and hard fighting, diverted the attention of the enemy's 
cavalry, the result would doubtless have been different. But 
it is true that the movement filled the enemy with consterna- 
tion. At the time this handful of Federal troops was sweeping 
down through Mississippi, Porter was running the Vicksburg 
Batteries, and McClernand was gathering his corps on the west 
bank of the river below the city. The combination of move- 
ments filled the enemy with amazement, and for several days 
it was said they stood and looked on with wonder, not knowing 
what points were most threatened, and most in need of defense. 
Those who joined Grant's forceson the final Vicksburg Cam- 
paign, and who were aff'orded the opportunity of reading the 
rebel papers picked up at Baymond, Clinton, and at other 
points along the route, will remember how great the alarm had 



676 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

been : they will also remember how poor Pemberton was bela- 
bored for having allowed "this handful of thieving Yanks to 
pass unmolested under his very nose." 

The 2d Iowa's next move of importance was that made to 
Jackson, in pursuit of Forest, about the middle of July, 1863. 
It was on ■ this march, and while charging through the city 
of Jackson, that Lieutenant John Humphreys was severely 
wounded. This, considering the numbers engaged, was a 
gallant affair. One incident of the fight is thus given by 
Major, afterward Colonel Coon : "In one j>lace, the contest 
was so close between Company M and a superior force of For- 
est's men, that one man, named H. H. Bromer, had a hand-to- 
hand fight, after exhausting all the weapons in his hands. 

The 2d Iowa Cavalry re-enlisted as a veteran regiment in the 
winter of 1863-4, and came North. Afterward, it returned to 
Memphis, from which j^oint it marched on the expeditions of 
Sturgis and Smith against Forest ; but an account of these 
operations will be found elsewhere. 

Much of the time since promoted to a general officer, General 
Hatch has commanded a cavalry division. He distinguished 
himself in resisting Hood's advance into Tennessee, and, 
especially, in the part he took in routing the rebel forces at 
Nashville. 

The general has a handsome person and an agreeable address. 
He is about five feet eleven inches in hight, has dark hair and 
eyes, and, if I am rightly informed, possesses great energy and 
determination. He is dignified if the occasion requires it, and 
yet, he can crack a joke and tip a beer-mug with the best of 
tliem. 



COLONEL DATUS E. COON. 

THIRD COLONEL, SECOND CAVALRY. 

I)atu8 E. Coox is a native of New Yorlv State, and is thirty- 
four years of age. He was, in the summer of 18G1, a resident 
of Mason City, Cerro Gordo county, Iowa. He entered the 
service as captain of Company I, 2d Iowa Cavalry, and, on the 
14th of September of the same year, was promoted to a majority 
in that regiment. If lie ever held the lieutenant-colonelcy of 
his regiment, I have foiled to learn it. He was commissioned 
colonel of the 2d Iowa Cavalry on the 1st day of May, 1864. 
Much of the time since promoted to his present rank, he has 
been in command of the 2d Brigade, 5th Cavalry Division, the 
command of General Edward Hatch. He is reputed a gallant 
and efficient officer. 

The point of chief interest in the history of the 2d Iowa 
Cavalry, during the colonelcy of Colonel Coon, is that which 
relates to the Fall and Winter Campaign against General Hood, 
in Tennessee. The time covered by these operations embraces 
fully three months ; for the advance of Forest into Tennessee 
near Waterloo, Alabama, late in September, 1864, may be 
regarded as a part of Hood's grand flanking campaign. From 
the 30th of September to the 5th of December, the skirmishes 
and engagements of the 2d Cavalry are enumerated as follows : 
Shoal Creek, Alabama, November 9th, 1864 ; Aberdeen, 
Alabama, November 17th ; Butler Creek, Alabama, Novem- 
ber 19th ; Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, November 22d ; Campbell- 
ville, Tennessee, November 24th; Linnville, Tennessee, 
November 24th; Mount Carmel, Tennessee, November 29th 

and New Franklin, Tennessee, November 30th. 
37 577 



578 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

At the time Forest crossed into Tennessee, as above staled, 
the 2d Cavalry was stationed at White's Station, and at once 
marched with its brigade for Clifton, on the Tennessee Kiver. 
Arriving there, it found General Washburne, who had come 
by boat from Mempliis, and was directed by him to start in 
pursuit of the raider. From this time till the 18th of October, 
the regiment was on the scout, but failed to find the enemy. 
E.eturning then to Clifton, it remained a few days in camp and 
then started again on the scout; and thus its time was passed 
until the advance of Hood made its appearance opposite Flor- 
ence, Alabama. 

The brigade command of Colonel Coon, to which was 
attached the 2d Iowa, took a distinguished part in the opera- 
tions to resist Hood's advance into Tennessee, and also in 
driving the rebel army from the State. The skirmishes and 
engagements, which I have given above, were fought while 
Hood was marching on Nashville. For the part taken by the 2d 
Iowa in the battles of the 15th, IGth, and 17th of December I 
refer to the official report of Major C. C. Horton, who was in 
command of the regiment. After first stating that his regi- 
ment with its brigade moved out from camp and took uj) its 
position on the right of General A. J. Smith's Corps, the Major 
says : 

"Their main line was found some four miles from town, 
occupying formidable works on a commanding hill. By con- 
tinually swinging to the left, our brigade struck their left 
flank. 

"The division battery (I, of the 2d Illinois) now galloped into 
position in an open field and opened on the works, evidently 
much to their annoj^ance, as the guns of both forts were imme- 
diately turned upon the battery and my regiment, which had 
been formed to the left and rear as support. Remained lying 
in this position, exposed to a galling fire from both forts for 
nearly an hour, losing two men killed and one wounded, when 



i 



DATUS E. COON. 579 

I received orders to move forward and joiu in an assault upon 
the first fort. Tlie regiment moved steadily forward under a 
severe fire until within three hundred yards of the works, 
when the order to 'charge and take that fort' from General 
Hatch, rang along the line. With a shout the men sprang for- 
ward, and with a shout the fort was carried. Company G, 
Lieutenant Budd commanding, having been thrown out as 
skirmishers, were nearest the works, and consequently the first 
to enter. One man was knocked down by a blow from a mus- 
ket just as he was scaling the works. One of General Smith's 
batteries shelled the fort after it was captured, six shells 
bursting in and over it after we had entered. Captured here 
four brass Napoleons and sixty prisoners. Thirty killed and 
wounded rebels were found lying in the fort. Leaving a guard 
with the guns, I pressed forward after the retreating enemy, 
capturing many prisoners. 

"Orders were now received from Colonel Coon to move by the 
right flank and charge the second fort, situated some seven 
hundred "yards to our right on a high, conical hill. The men 
were so eager in the pursuit of the fugitives from the first fort, 
that I was able to rally only two hundred of them : with these 
I joined the brigade in the assault. The fort was defended 
with a stubbornness and gallantry seldom surpassed— the 
enemy only ceasing to use their artillery after the works were 
scaled. A short but desperate hand-to-hand struggle ensued 
after the works were entered. My colors, borne by the gallant 
Sergeant Hartman, Company F, were the first to float from the 
fort. The Sergeant fell mortally wounded while in the act of 
planting the colors on one of the guns. Seizing my hand as I 
bent over him, he exclaimed, 'Major, tell my friends I died 
doing my duty.' 

"In this fort were captured two guns, with caissons; one 
battery- wagon, and nearly one hundred prisoners. Notwith- 
standing my colors were the first to enter the works, it would 
be unjust to claim the guns or prisoners as my particular prize, 
as the diff'erent regiments of the brigade entered so nearly at 
the same time. Lieutenants Watson and Griffith, Companies 
I and D, who, not having heard the order to rally in time to 
join in the assault on the fort, moved by the right and charged 
on our left flank, attacking and repulsing a force of rebels who 
were endeavoring to reinforce the fort, now reported with some 



580 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

sixty prisoners each. Quartermaster-Sergeant Beason, with 
my bugler, Anderson, and two mounted orderlies (Truesdale 
and Winn) charged with the sabre, killing and wounding 
several, and taking some seventy prisoners. Number of 
prisoners captured during the day, two hundred and fifty. 
Regiment lost, while supporting the battery and charging the 
two forts, six men killed, and two commissioned officers and 
eighteen men wounded. 

'^December 16^/i. — Moved with the brigade, early in the 
morning, again taking a position on the right of General 
Smith's Infantry: slight skirmishing during the morning. 
About 2 o'clock P. M., in compliance with orders from General 
Hatch, I sent Captain Bandy with the 3d Battalion to draw 
one gun of Battery I up a steep hill, utterly impassable for 
horses. The gun was dragged to the top of the hill and planted 
in such a position that it commanded a battery which had 
greatly annoyed our infantry lines during the day. In a few 
moments the rebel battery was silenced, and their infantry 
wavering and falling back. Colonel Coon then ordered the 
brigade forward, and poured volley after volley into their 
retiring columns. I now received orders to remain with the 
battery, assist in taking the gun down the hill, and then join 
the brigade. Lost during the day, one commissioned officer 
slightly wounded. 

'-'-December Ylth. — Moved again at day-light on the Franklin 
pike. General Hammond having the advance: found the 
enemy in strong force, occupying a line of hills on 'Little 
Harpeth,' four miles south of Franklin. General Hatch 
moved his division to the front; formed on the right of General 
Hammond, 2d Iowa on the extreme right. The line moved at 
a walk for some three hundred yards: then the trot, and finally 
the charge was sounded. At the signal, all sprang forward; 
but the centre found it impossible to carry the position on 
account of the steep and rocky hill-side. They halted here, 
dismounted, and engaged the enemy on foot. Not receiving 
the order to halt, and having better ground in front, I pressed 
forward, charged up the hill and through a thick wood, until 
we reached the enemy's left and rear, who now opened on me 
with grape and canister from the batteries. Wheeling the 
regiment to the left, I ordered the charge upon the battery to 
our left; but the* horses were poor and so much blown that 



DATUS E. COON. 581 

they could only raise a slow trot, perceiving which the enemy 
charged us in turn, but were handsomely repulsed with the 
carbine. A strong column of rebels were now reported passing 
through the gap between my regiment and the balance of the 
brigade. The fact that the day was dark and rainy, and that 
they wore rubber ponchos, and were many of them dressed in 
blue, had led my men to believe them to be our own troops, 
so that they were nearly in the rear of the 3d Battalion before 
the mistake was discovered. Company K, Sergeant John 
Coulter commanding, were nearly surrounded, and were com- 
pelled to cut their way out with the sabre. Sergeant Coulter, 
with Corporal Heck and Privates Black and Anderson, 
charged the rebel color-guard, and after a desperate hand-to- 
hand struggle, in which Heck and Black were killed and 
Coulter and Anderson badly wounded, the colors of Bosse's 
Brigade were captured, and borne triumphantly off by the 
sergeant. Eight dead rebels, lying within the space of a few 
yards, attest the desperate nature of the conflict. After a few 
moment's close fighting, in which the sabre and butts of guns 
were freely used, the rebels fell back. * * * My loss during the 
engagement was seven killed, eight wounded, and thirteen 
captured. Several others were captured, but made their 
escape, in some instances returning with their guards as 
prisoners. The regiment captured in all some fifty prisoners. 

On the 19th instant, the 2d Iowa met and engaged the enemy 
at Rutherford Creek, and, on the 25th, near Pulaski. But they 
continued their flight rapidly southward, and succeeded in 
crossing the Tennessee in detatchments. Many officers of the 
2d Cavalry are mentioned in the highest terms for their con- 
duct during this campaign, and among others are Major 
Schnitger, Captains Foster and Bandy, and Adjutant Syden- 
ham. 

After the above operations had closed, Generals Smith, Scho- 
field, and Wilson were ordered to concentrate their respective 
commands at Eastport, on the Tennessee River, preparatory to 
a renewal of the campaign against the enemy in Mississippi and 
Alabama ; little more was done in this quarter, for Schofield 



682 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

was soon after summoned to North Carolina to co-oporate 
with Sherman, and Thomas ordered to Tennessee to "assume 
general control of the defenses of our line of communication in 
the rear of the Army of the Mississippi." 

The results of the campaign are thus sunmied up by General 
Thomas : 

" There were captured from the enemy during the various 
actions of which the foregoing report treats, thirteen thousand, 
one hundred and eighty-nine prisoners of war, including seven 
general officers and nearly one thousand other officers of all 

grades, seventy-two pieces of artillery, and battle-flags. 

During the same period over two thousand deserters from the 
enemy were received, and to whom the oath was administered. 
Our own losses will not exceed ten thousand in killed, wounded 
and missing." 

With the above campaign, closes the interesting portion 
of the 2d Cavalry's history. It did not march with Wilson on 
his celebrated march through Alabama to Macon, Georgia. 



BRIGADIER-GENERAL CYRUS BUSSEY. 

FIRST COLONEL, THIRD CAVALRY. 

Cyrus Bussey was born on the oth day of October, 1833, in 
Trumbull county, Ohio, where he lived till the year 1837, when 
he removed with his father, the Rev. A. Bussey, to Southern 
Indiana. When fourteen years of age, he entered a dry-goods 
store as clerk ; and at sixteen embarked in the mercantile busi- 
ness on his own account. In 1855 he came to Iowa, and settled 
in Bloomfield, Davis county. Previously to coming to Iowa 
he had spent two years in the study of medicine ; but the prac- 
tice of that profession not according with his tastes he resumed, 
after coming to Iowa, his former business. 

Mr. Bussey was formerly a Democrat in politics, and in 1858 
was elected by that party to the State Senate from Davis 
county. During the canvass that terminated in his election, 
the oratorical skill and ability that he displayed in his speeches 
surprised the people of Davis county, who had heretofore 
known him as a successful merchant. He served in the State 
Senate during the session of 18G0-61, and also in the extra war 
session; and unlike the representatives from Davis county, 
gave hearty support to the Administration and voted for every 
war measure. By his fealty to the Government he lost caste 
with his party and forfeited all prospects of political prefer- 
ment in his county, for it was intensely democratic. 

On the nth of June, 1861, General Bussey was appointed an 

aid de camp to Governor Kirkwood, and served in that capacity 

during the southern border excitement in the summer of 1861, 

distributing arms and organizing the militia. 

On the 10th of August, 1861, he was commissioned colonel of 

583 



584 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

the 3cl Iowa Cavalry, and in ten days from that date, had his 
regiment in rendezvoas. Early in February, 18G2, he was 
ordered with his regiment from Benton Barracks near St. 
Louis, to Rolla, Missouri, which place, after a few days' rest, 
he left and marched for Springfield, to join General Curtis. 
He readied Springfield on the loth instant, but General Curtis 
had already left in pursuit of General Price toward the Arkan- 
sas border. On learning this fact, and hearing rumors of an 
imi)ending battle. Colonel Bussey decided to push on at once, 
and join General Curtis' command at all hazards. The roads 
were heavy and the weather inclement ; but on the evening of 
the 16th instant, he reached Sugar Creek, having accomplished 
in four days' time, some two hundred miles. It is not the 
greatest cavalry march on record ; but at that day there was 
not a greater, where it was made in the direction of the enemy. 
After joining the Army of the South West, Colonel Bussey 
was assigned to the command of a cavalry brigade. With this 
command he fought in the battle of I'ea llidge, and engaged 
the enemy near Ijcetown. Tlio circumstances attending the 
opening of the engagement on the part of the 3d Iowa Cavalry, 
and the i)art the regiment sustained in the action are as follows: 
\'an Dorn, declining to attack General Curtis in front, stole in 
the night-time (luietly by the right flank of the original line of 
battle, hoping to gain position in the rear, and by a sudden 
attack, and with confusion as his ally, push the Fwleral army 
t<j ruinous (h-foat. But General Curtis divininl his i)liins, ami 
made disposition of his forces to meet tlu- tiu-iny in the ni'W 
position. 

The new line was forninl early in the iiioniing, and the rebel 
advance encountered near i:iUhnri» Tavern — Curtis' right. At 
about the same time, Colonel Osterhaus with an infantry com- 
mand, and Colonel Bussi'y witli liis cavalry brigade, were sent 
luit from llie left U) .-jtrike the enemy in Hank, while they were 



CYRUS BUSSEY. 585 

moving into position. This force proceeded through the tim- 
ber and some open fields to beyond Leetown, when they saw 
the enemy's train and some cavalry passing by their front. 
This cavalry the 3d Iowa, under Lieutenant-Colonel Trimble, 
was ordered to charge; but while moving to the attack, the 
regiment suddenly came on the infantry of McCulloch, Mcin- 
tosh and Albert Pike, concealed in the timber. Lieutenant- 
Colonel Trimble was instantly shot in the head and disabled; 
and a majority of the men of the 3d Iowa, who were killed and 
wounded in the engagement, fell here. Nine of Company D 
were killed and wounded by this fire. The regiment was of 
course repulsed, and, wheeling about, retired. 

But in the meantime a force of rebel cavalry having advanced 
from the right, charged the command of Colonel Bussey, and, 
after a short struggle, drove it back in confusion. This rebel 
cavalry, the 3d Iowa while falling back encountered, and 
immediately charged and routed it. A running fight then 
ensued, during which the rebel General Ben McCulloch was shot 
from his splendid black charger. Company D, Captain Nor- 
man W. Cook, had the honor of killing this celebrated rascal. 
In these charges and counter-charges, both the Benton and 
Fremont Hussars failed to do themselves credit : some declare 
that they broke without firing a gun. All of Bussey's com- 
mand now fell back to the infantry of Colonel Osterhaus, which 
was found in line of battle. The enemy soon followed, and 
in this position, which was near Leetown, was done the prin- 
cipal fighting on the left. 

The enemy were routed on the 8th of March, and, on the 
morning of the 9th, Colonel Bussey in command of his brigade 
and with a battery of artillery started in pursuit. He came 
up with their rear-guard at Bentonville, which he found in 
line of battle ; but a few shots from his artillery put it to 



5SG IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

flight. Pursuing still, Colonel Bussey continued to harass the 
enemy's rear till he had gained his strong-hold in the lioston 
Mountains. Pea Ridge was Colonel Bussey's first hattJe, and, 
in evidence of their admiration of his conduct throughout the 
engagement and in the pursuit, his regiment presented him 
with a magnificent sabre, costing over seven hundred dollars. 
Pea Ridge was also the first battle of the 8d Iowa Cavalry, and 
it was one of the hardest in which the regiment ever fought. 
It was at Pea Ridge only, that the killed and wounded were 
subjected to the shocking atrocities of barbarous warfare. 
Many of the wounded were killed after their capture, by the 
inhuman wretches, led to the conflict by Albert Pike. Eight 
of the 3d Iowa alone were scalped, and many bore evidences of 
having been murdered after their cajjture. The killed, 
wounded and missing of the regiment numbered fifty; and 
among the former were Sergeants W. O. Crawford, G. N. 
Anderson, R. II. Millard, and J. W. ^Montgomery. Not to 
convey a wrong idea, I should state that only five companies 
of the regiment were in the engagement — A, B, C, D and M. 
The 2d Battalion, under command of ]\Eajor H. C. Caldwell, 
was at the time serving in Central Missouri. 

During the spring and summer of 1862, Colonel Bussey con- 
tinued with the Army of the South West,-and accompanied it 
on its long and tedious campaign through Arkansas to Bates- 
ville. On this march, he had command of his brigade, and, 
with it, was sent on various expeditions ; but in all of these he 
failed to meet the enemy in any considerable force. On the 
10th of July, 1862, he was assigned to the command of the 3d 
Brigade of General Steele's Division, Army of the South West, 
which he retained till the 2d of the coming September. From 
the 2d of September till the 11th of January following, he was 
in command of either a brigade or a division, but on the last 



CYRUS BUSSEY. 587 



named date was appointed to the command of tlie District of 
Eastern Arkansas ; and the manner in which he discharged the 
duties of this command, affording, as it did, so great a contrast 
with the administration of his predecessor, challenged the 
attention of the General Government. 

On the 6th of April, 1863, Colonel Bussey succeeded Major- 
General Washburne, in command of ^the 2d Cavalry Division, 
Army of the Tennessee ; but his command here was brief ; for, 
desiring a more active field of labor, he was at his own request 
relieved and ordered to report at Vicksburg, where, on his 
arrival, he was made chief of cavalry. From the last of May 
till the surrender of Vicksburg, he had command of all the 
cavalry in the rear of the beleaguered city, and, in matching 
the movements of General Johnson, rendered important 
services to General Grant. 

The advance of General Sherman against Jackson, Mississippi, 
after the fall of Vicksburg, was led by Colonel Bussey, who, on 
the 8th instant, engaged the rebel General Jackson, and after a 
spirited little fight forced him to retire. He was more or less 
engaged with the enemy till the 16th instant, during which 
time he visited Calhoun, Beattie's Bluff, and Vernon. On the 
17th of July, he started in command of an expedition to Can- 
ton, Mississippi, and on this march again encountered General 
Jackson with a force numbering four thousand strong. The 
engagement lasted from eight o'clock in the morning till five 
in the evening, when the enemy, repulsed at all points, fell 
back and crossed to the east side of Pearl River. On this 
expedition. Colonel Bussey destroyed thirteen manufacturing 
establishments, forty miles of railroad, and a large amount of 
rolling stock. It is proper to state in this connection that, in 
all these operations, Colonel Bussey's regiment formed a part 
of his command. 



088 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

Coloney Bussey was promoted to a general officer on the 5th 
of January, 18G4; and the above statement of his services 
suffices to show that his title to a star was long anterior to the 
date of his receiving it. He was nominated and confirmed for 
"special gallantry," on the reports of commanding generals. 

Since promoted to his present rank, General Bussey has 
served in the Department of Arkansas: until the middle of 
February, 1865, he was stationed at Little Rock, and much of 
this time was the president of a court-martial. Immediately 
after General Reynolds succeeded General Steele at Little Rock, 
General Bussey was assigned to the command of the 3d Divi- 
sion, 7th Army Corps, and ordered to relieve General Thayer 
at Fort Smith, Arkansas. The history of these changes in 
commanders has been discussed elsewhere, and well illustrates 
the esteem and confidence in which General Bussey was held 
by his superiors. Soon after he assumed command at Fort 
Smith, the following api)oared in an editorial of the "New 
Era:" 

"The firm administration of the new commander, General 
Bussey, together with his untiring efforts to deal justice with 
an even hand to all, have contributed greatly to restore confi- 
dence among the loyal people, and infuse new hope for a bright 
future among them." 

And Governor Murphy, in a letter to the same paper writes: 

" I have great confidence in your present commander, Gen- 
eral Bussey. His judgment energy, and firmness I feel 
confident will be equal to the task imposed, though it be great. 
General Reynolds, commander of the Department, will fully 
sustain him in every measure for the protection of loyal citi- 
zens, and the suppression of villainy." 

Before closing this sketch of General Bussey and his old 
regiment, I cannot forbear alluding to some of the many 
brave officers, who have contributed to make the history of the 
3d Iowa cavalry what it is. Majors Perry, Duffield, Drake and 



CYRUS BUSSEY. 589 

Scott; Captains Van Benthuser, Anderson, Cook, Duffield, 
Eobison, Mayne, Hughs, Taylor, Miller, Mudgett and Warner, 
and Lieutenants Dale, Fitch, Cherrie, Horton, Walker, 
McCrary, Crail, Spencer, Curkendall, De Huff, Baker, and H. 
D. B. Cutler were among the officers who accompanied the 
regiment to the field. Lieutenant Cutler, a brave and genial 
companion, was for a long time on the staff of General Bussey 
—I think his adjutant-general. 

Among others, too, who are deserving of mention, is the late 
Lieutenant A. H. Griswold. He was killed in Arkansas, on 
the 27th of Juno, 18G2, by a party of guerrillas. The circum- 
stances of his murder are as follows : 

"With twenty men of Company K, Lieutenant Griswold 
went out yesterday morning as escort to Captain Fuller's 
forage-train. The party proceeded down White lliver about 
ten miles, where they loaded the train with corn, and were 
returning to camp without having discovered the enemy. 
After traveling three miles, the cavalry escort in the rear of 
the train were fired upon by a party of rebels concealed in a 
canebrake about twenty yards distant, killing tlie lieutenant, 
Corporal Thomas Watson, and Privates Richard Luke and 
James L. Beacom, all of Company K; and wounding Privates 
Edwin Beck with, in elbow, severely; Wesley Pringle, in side, 
not dangerously ; James Marsh, in head, not dangerously ; and 
Marcus I»ackard, in leg, slightly. The escort returned the fire, 
and succeeded in bringing off the train, with the killed and 
wounded. Lieutenant Griswold was a most faithful and 
efficient officer, and a gentleman, whose loss will be deeply felt 
by a large circle of friends in the regiment and in Iowa, 
where he leaves a wife and two children." 

General Bussey is five feet, eleven inches in hight, and has a 
slender, athletic form. He has an exceedingly fair complexion, 
dark hair, and dark, lustrous eyes. He is not only comely in 
person, but winning in manners, and, with his pleasing con- 
versational powers, could not be otherwise than popular in any 
community. He has ready wit, great power of expression, 



O')0 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

and is able to say whatever he wislies in whatever way he 
pleases; and in this lies the secret of his success as a public 
extempore speaker. General Bussey has confidence in himself 
and his aljilities, and is happily free from those airs and indis- 
cretions common to men overburdened with self-esteem. As a 
business man, he was characterized for promj)tness and order, 
and these traits he carried with him into the army, lie is 
ambitious and fond of i)ublic eclat^ and — who is not? 

Mr. J. Thomi)son of the 1st Iowa Cavalry, in an article on 
the Iowa general otticers, speaks thus of General Bussey: 

•'His demeanor indicates at once the scholar and gentleman. 
He possesses fine sensibilities, and a character irreproachal)le for 
honesty and morality. His moral qualities have suffered little 
by three year's contact with the evil associations of the army. 
Position or promotion tloes not change him. It gives me 
l)leasure to dwell on the virtues of his private life, because he 
stands alone in this respect. His conduct during the war 
l^roves him not unworthy the position he occupies." 



COLONEL HENRY CLAY CxlLDWELL. 

SECOND COLOXEL, THIRD CAVALRY. 

H. C. Caldwell, now judge of the District Courts for the 
District of Arkansas, is a son of the late Van Caldwell, who, 
in the early history of the State, was extensively known 
through South Eastern Iowa for his uncompromising whigism 
and his generous hospitality. Van Caldwell was one of the 
first settlers of that county, and deserves a passing notice. He 
was, at one time, a wealthy Virginia planter, but, meeting 
reverses in fortune, and losing the greater part of his estate, 
sold his ancient homestead and came to Iowa, which was then 
a Territory. His first claim was laid in what is now the town 
of Bentonsport, Van Buren county. After a four-years' resi- 
dence here, he removed to Davis county, where he died. He 
was an old-style, Virginia gentleman. 

Colonel Caldwell, the subject of this sketch, is a native of 
Virginia, and was born in Marshall county of that State, on 
the 4th day of September, 1832. Accompanying his father in 
his western migration, he remained with him till the fall of 
1847, when he was received into the law office of Wright & 
Knapp, at Keosauqua, as chore-boy. 

Colonel Caldwell is essentially an Iowa man — more so than 
anj^ other officer whose sketch is here given ; and for this reason 
the details of his early history may not be uninteresting. 
Before starting in life for himself, he did not have even the 
advantages of a common school education. He had atten- 
ded school a few weeks at the old Indian Agency Station, now 
Agency City, where he might have learned to read, but 

nothing more. He was, however, a student at home; audit 

591 



592 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

was here, by the fire-side of his father's rustic log cabin, where 
Judge Knapp first found him and learned his habits. The 
result was as has been stated. 

In the fall of 1847, he left his home for a permanent resi- 
dence in Keosauqua, having his entire worldly effects tied in a 
red cotton handkerchief. One year's schooling in Keosauqua 
completed his education ; and this was only afforded by hard 
labor and the most rigid economy. In 1851, he was admitted 
to the Keosauqua bar, since which time his history is better 
known. 

He first entered the practice as a partner of Judge Wright, 
(Judge Knapp being then on the bench) and later was a 
member of the firm of Wright, Knapp & Caldwell. Still 
later, on the election of Judge Wright to the Supreme Bench 
of Iowa, the firm was known as that of Knapp & Caldwell. 
He was the junior member of this firm at the time of entering 
the service, in the summer of 1861. The connection of Colonel 
Caldwell with this able firm was, for him, no ordinary good 
fortune. He would have succeeded by himself, poor as he was. 
Agreeable in manners, able, energetic and ambitious, he 
possessed every requisite of success ; but his advancement was 
much more rapid from being associated with two such masterly 
minds. 

In March, 1853, Colonel Caldwell married Miss Hattie Ben- 
ton, an estimable lady and a niece of Judge Wright, and a sister 
of JNIrs. Judge Knapp. 

"Colonel Caldwell was always the pet of Van Buren county;" 
so many of her citizens have told me. With his appearance at 
the bar began his popularity. In the fall of 1856 he was elected 
prosecuting attorney for Van Buren county, by a majority of 
180. He ran upon the Republican ticket, and was the only can- 
didate in the county, of that shade of politics, who was elected. 
In 1860, he was elected to the State Legislature, and here again 



HENRY CLAY CALDWELL. 593 

was the only successful candidate on his ticket in the county, 
the democrats electing the senator and the other members of 
the House. AVnile a member of the legislature, he served as 
chairman of the Judiciary Committee; and by his counsels in 
the committee-room, and his nervous, off-hand speeches in the 
House, established the reputation of being an able lawyer and 
practical legislator. His geniality, moreover, secured the love 
and respect of every member of the House. 

Mr. Caldwell entered the service in the summer of 1861, being 
in August of that year commissioned major of the 3d Iowa 
Cavalry. Subsequently to that time and till the 20th of June, 
18G4, when he was appointed judge of the district courts for 
the District of Arkansas, he followed the profession of arms. 
As a soldier, he met with his usual success. His military 
record is not as brilliant as are those of some others, and for 
the reason that the department in which he served did not 
chance to be the theatre of many hard-fought battles. The 
service which he saw comprised all the hardships and nearly 
all the dangers, but lacked the glory incident to the sanguinary 
campaigns in other departments. During his first year's 
service. Major Caldwell had a separate command, consisting of 
companies E, F, G and H— the 2d Battalion of the 3d Iowa 
Cavalry. On the 12th of December, 1861, he was ordered from 
Benton Barracks to Jefferson City, Missouri, and thence to 
Fulton, where he made his head-quarters, and from whence he 
led various scouting expeditions, during the Winter. 

In the following Summer, in connection with a detachment 
of the Missouri State Militia and Merrill's cavalry command, 
he took part in the engagement at Moore's Mills, in Calloway 
county. This battle, though short, was fiercely contested, and, 
of all that were fought during that Spring and Summer, ranks 
highest in importance. 



594 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

On the 5th of September, 1862, Major Caldwell was promoted 
to the lieutenant-colonelcy of the 3d Iowa Cavalry, vice Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Trimble, resigned. In the winter of 1862-3, he 
served in the Army of the Frontier, and then joined General 
Davidson, at that time in command of the Army of South East 
Missouri. For several months, although only a lieutenant- 
colonel, he commanded a brigade. Subsequently, he was made 
chief of cavalry on General Davidson's staff, and served in 
that capacity till after the capture of Little liock. 

Colonel Caldwell most distinguished himself, I believe, in the 
Little Rock Campaign. At the head of his command, he was 
the first to enter the Arkansas Capital. 

How Steele, having completed his reconnoissance, marched 
via Shallow Ford and Ashley's Mills to the Arkansas, and 
crossed the river some eight miles below the city, has been given 
elsewhere. The passage of Davidson's cavalry command across 
the Arkansas, and the march on Little Rock is thus given by 
General Steele : 

"Two regiments of infantry passed over the river to drive 
the enemy's skirmishers out of the woods, and the cavalry 
division passed on without serious interruption until they 
reached Bayou Fourche, where the enemy were drawn up in 
line to receive them. The rebels held their position obstinately 
until our artillery on the opposite side of the river was opened 
upon their rear and flank, when they gave way and were 
steadily pushed back by Davidson, the artillery constantly 
playing upon them from the other side of the river. Our 
two columns marched nearly abreast on either side of the 
Arkansas." 

Long before reaching the city, General Steele knew that 
the enemy were evacuating ; for dense clouds of dust and smoke 
were seen rising in the distance, in the direction of the town, 
and soon small bodies of troops were seen hurrying hither and 
thither, like so many frightened sheep. 



HENRY CLAY CALDWELL. 595 

On approaching the city, Lieutenant-Colonel Caldwell, who 
had been given the advance, disposed his troops and charged 
through the streets; but the enemy, with the exception of some 
few stragglers, had fled. Soon after the cavalry took possession 
of the place, the infantry came up and marched through its 
deserted streets, after the music of the "Star Spangled Banner" 
and "Yankee Doodle." It was an inspiring scene, and will 
be recalled as a day of proud recollections by Steele's old com- 
mand. 

Lieutenant-Colonel Caldwell was commissioned colonel of 
his regiment, on the 4th of May, 1864, and, on the 20th of the 
following June, was promoted to his present office. In the 
spring of 1864, and before he was promoted to the colonelcy of 
his regiment, he had been recommended by both Steele and 
Davidson for promotion to a general officer ; and, had he not 
been tendered his present position, he would have been made 
a brigadier-general, and in that case would have been the 
second officer from the State to receive like honor. I am told 
that, by the advice of his friends and through the solicitations 
of Governor Murphy, Senator Baxter, Doctor Kirkwood, and 
other prominent Union men of Arkansas, Colonel Caldwell 
waived a brigadier's commission, and accepted his present 
office. The position he now holds is both honorable and 
lucrative, and he deserves his good fortune. 

Colonel Caldwell is tall and slender in person, and gentle- 
manly and pleasing in his address. His constitution is not 
very vigorous; that, at least, would be the judgment of a stran- 
ger ; for he has a thin, pale face, and is nervous and restless in 
his movements. The hardships of the service and his constant 
mental labors have conspired to make him an older looking 
man than he is. He is himself careless in dress, and never 
measures other men by their broad-cloth. In conversation, he 



596 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

is earnest and emphatic, and has a habit of constantly winking. 

Thougli the colonel has first-rate ability, it is not of that 
voluntary kind that accomplishes wonders spontaneously. 
Through his whole life, he has been an untiring student. As a 
public speaker, he is off-hand, impressive and laborious, and, 
at the close of a long argument, seems nearly exhausted. 
While in the practice of his profession, he rarely took the time 
to make a short speech, in consequence of which his arguments 
were desultory. But he always had this excellent trait: he 
never talked because he wished to say something, but because 
he had something to say. 

Colonel Caldwell's character as a soldier may be inferred 

from the following extract from General Davidson's official 

report of the capture of Little Rock. 

" Lieutenant-Colonel Caldwell, whose untiring devotion and 
energy never flags during the night nor day, deserves, for his 
gallantry and varied accomplishments as a cxivalry officer, pro- 
motion to the rank of a general officer." 

Is it to be wondered that Iowa is proud of this distinguished 
young citizen and soldier? 



COLONEL JOHN WESLEY NOBLE. 

THIRD COLONEL, THIRD CAVALRY. 

John W. Noble was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in the year 
1831, and is a son of Colonel John Noble, a distinguished citi- 
zen of that State. His education is liberal and thorough, and 
was acquired at Yale College, New Haven. His profession is 
the law, which he first studied in the office of Hon. Henry 
Stansbury of Ohio, and afterward at the Cincinnati Law 
School. In 1857, he came to Iowa and settled in the city of 
Keokuk, where he formed a law partnership with Henry 
Strong, Esq. From that time until the breaking out of the 
war, he practiced his profession with great success, and in the 
opinion of most competent judges was, without regard to his 
age, one of the best read lawyers in his district. In the spring 
of 18G1, the firm of "Strong & Noble" ranked only second in 
ability and business, to the many law firms in the city of Keo- 
kuk. In August, 1861, John W. Noble entered the service a.s 
adjutant of the 3d Iowa Cavalry. He held that rank till the 
18th of November, 1862, when he was mustered to the majority 
of the 2d Battalion of his regiment. Early in May, 1864, he 
was made lieutenant-colonel, and in the following June was 
mustered colonel, vice Colonel H. C. Caldwell. 

For several months before he was commissioned colonel, and 
while he held the rank of major, Colonel Noble commanded 
his regiment— or rather the 1st and 3d Battalions of it. These 
battalions were under his command in rear of Vicksburg, 
during Sherman's advance on Jackson, on the march to Canton, 

and the raid made by Colonel Winslow of the 4th Iowa Cavalry 

597 



598 IOWA COLOXELS AND REGIMENTS. 

from near the Big Black River through the country to Mem- 
phis. The last named expedition was made in August, 1863, 
and we resume the history of the regiment from that date. 

On the 26th of August, the 1st and 3d Battalions of the 3d 
Iowa were embarked on boats for Vicksburg, but they had 
proceeded no farther than Helena, when they were ordered by 
General Grant in person, to debark and report to General Steele, 
then marching on Little Rock. It will be remembered the 
2d Battalion of the regiment, with the command of Lieutenant- 
Colonel Caldwell, had marched with the cavalry division of 
General Davidson from Arcadia, and that it now formed a part 
of General Steele's forces. On the arrival of Major Noble the 
regiment was therefore re-united after a separation of nearly 
two years. From September, 1863, until the following Febru- 
ary, the histories of the 1st and 3d Iowa Cavalry regiments are 
nearly the same. They served in the same department, and 
took part in the same operations ; but on the last named date, 
the 3d Iowa having re-enlisted, came North on veteran fur- 
lough. Since that time the histories of these regiments have 
been widely different. 

While en route for the front, after the expiration of its fur- 
lough, the 3d Iowa Cavalry was stopped at Memphis, and, in 
the latter part of April, 1861, was brigaded with the 4th Iowa 
and 10th Missouri Cavalry. These troops constituted "Colonel 
Wiuslow's Brigade;" and by their gallantry in six important 
expeditions they have made their name distinguished. 

An account of the operations against General Forest in the 
spring and summer of 1864, I have given elsewhere, and I need 
not detail them here. The 3d Iowa took part in all these 
operations, and sustained its reputation for gallantry. In the 
disastrous aflfiiir of General Sturgis near Guntown, Mississippi, 
the regiment lost five killed, eighteen wounded, and forty-nine 



JOHN W. NOBLE. 599 

captured. In speaking of the conduct of his regiment in this 
engagement, Colonel Noble says : 

'*My officers and men behaved universally so well that I can 
not make much distinction among them. But, for their aid in 
getting a new line to force the enemy at one particular 
emergency, I deem Captain Curkendall, of Company D, and 
Lieutenant McKee, of Company B, worthy of particular 
notice. Major Jones was constantly at his post, and did all a 
good and brave officer could. If occasion offers, I hope to bring 
the merits of others of the brave men more prominently for- 
ward than I can do now." 

Lieutenants Thomas J. Miller and Reuben Delay were both 
wounded in this engagement and captured. 

The loss of the 3d Iowa Cavalry in the expedition made by 
General Smith against Forest to Tupelo, Mississippi, was one 
killed, seventeen wounded, and one captured. Major Duffield 
and Captains Crail, Brown, McCrary and Johnson, are men- 
tioned for special gallantry. 

The history of the operations against General Sterling Price 
in Missouri, in the fall of 1864, is one of great interest, and the 
brilliant part which the 3d Iowa Cavalry and its brigade sus- 
tained in it I give in full. 

Colonel Winslow's Brigade had only returned from its second 
expedition under General Smith against Forest, when it was 
ordered in pursuit of Price: indeed, it was re-called from 
Oxford, Mississippi, if I mistake not, for this express purpose. 
The brigade left its camp near Memphis, at two o'clock on the 
morning of the second of September, and, crossing the Missis- 
sippi, marched to Brownsville, Arkansas, when it arrived on 
the 9th instant. Plere the command rested till the morning of 
the 18th, awaiting the arrival and organization of the infantry 
command of Major-General Mower. On the 18th, the march 
was resumed northward, and, passing through Austin, and 
Searcy, and crossing the White Biver fifteen miles below 



600 IOWA COLONELS AND KEGIMENTS. 

Batesville, and Black River at El^an, entered Missouri at 
Poplar Bluffs. Price was now well into Missouri, living liber- 
ally, and inviting his rebel adherents to join him. Prom 
Poplar Bluffs, Winslow's Brigade marched east to Cape 
Girardeau, and proceeded thence by boat to St. Louis, where it 
arrived on the 10th of October. 

At this date, there was great alarm, both in Southern Iowa 
and Eastern Kansas; and the militia in both States were being 
organized and disciplined to meet the invader. Dollar-men 
along the border in Iowa, (I do not speak for Kansas) who, 
during the whole war, had hugged closely to their business and 
about their firesides, and who had thought of nothing but their 
per centage, now looked anxiously over into Missouri, and 
talked loudly of patriotism. I could not pass without paying 
the patriots this compliment. 

Winslow's Brigade rested only one day in St. Louis to refit; 
then pushed up the Valley of the Missouri Biver, on the direct 
road to Independence. The command struck the enemy's trail 
at Franklin, only thirty miles west from the Mississippi; and 
at that time Price was at Lexington. On the 22d instant, they 
reached Independence, where they formed a junction with the 
cavalry command of General Pleasanton. That same evening 
the brigade was thrown to thi,, front, and encountered the ene- 
my's rear-guard; for Price was now only a few miles distant 
from Independence. Of the operations of the 3d Iowa Cavalry 
that night. Colonel Noble says: 

"My regiment, though not having the advance, was dis- 
mounted, sent to the front, and immediately engaged the 
enemy on the Kansas City Boad, fighting and driving Clark's 
rebel brigade a distance of five miles, from five o'clock until 
nine and one-half P. M., when my command was relieved. 
The command rested on the field for the night in the face of 
the enemy, having marched from twelve o'clock on the night 
of the twenty-first, without water or forage for our animals." 



JOHN W. NOBLE. 601 

The next morning, the 23cl, the 3d Iowa Cavalry v/as in the 
saddle by four o'clock, and j)ressing the enemy. The 10th 
Missouri and 4th Iowa Cavalry had the advance. It will be 
remembered that, as early as the 20th instant, General Blunt, 
under orders from General Curtis, had moved out from Kansas 
to Lexington and engaged Price's advance. Pleasanton, with 
his cavalry, soon after struck him in rear, and from that time 
till the 23d, the date of the battle on the Big Blue, the rebel 
general was between two fires. It will also be remembered 
that it was on the Big Blue that the invading army was defeated 
and disorganized. In this splendid victory, the brigade of 
Colonel Winslow contributed not a little. Early in the day, 
Company A, of the 3d Iowa, charged the enemy in a strong 
position, and captured a stand of colors and several prisoners; 
and later in the same day, the entire regiment, in company 
wuth its brigade, "joined in the gallant mounted charge against 
the enemy in column of regiments, which was continued 
through farms and over the prairie for five or six miles." The 
loss of Price here was extremely severe, and, as I have said, 
his army was demoralized. 

The history of the pursuit, during the two subsequent days, 
Major B. S. Jones gives as follows : 

"Having, at day-light, [the 14th] joined the Army of the 
Border under General Curtis, we marched early, constantly 
and rapidly in a southern direction after the retreating enemy, 
down the line dividing Missouri and Kansas, over extensive 
prairies, dotted with devastated farms and lonely chimneys, 
which marked the ravages of war. We marched without 
halting, until three o'clock A. M. of the 2oth, when we 
reached Trader's Post on the Osage Biver: there we found the 
enemy, and eagerly waited for morning. The enemy, having 
been routed from his position on the river, was followed up at 
a gallop for several miles by Winslow's Brigade, in the follow- 
ing order: 10th Missouri, 4th Iowa, 3d Iowa, 4th Missouri, and 
7th Indiana Cavalry. When he attempted to make a stand, 



602 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

we formed on tlie open prairie in two linos of battle, supported 
by eight pieces of artillery. 

"My command was formed in line of battle with the 
brigade, in column of regiments, in their order of march, and 
constituting the left centre of our whole line. We charged the 
enemy, breaking his right and centre, killing, wounding and 
capturing many of h'n men. Among the captured were 
Generals Marmaduke and Cabell, the former by Private James 
Dunlavy, of Company D, and the latter by Sergeant C. M. 
Young, of Company L — both of the 3d Iowa Cavalry. Com- 
panies C, D and E captured three pieces of the enemy's 
artillery. The whole of my command did nobly on that field, 
as also on all others, and the highest commendations are due 
to every man and officer. The remainder of the day was one 
continual charge upon the enemy, resulting in his complete 
rout. We rested on the open prairie over night, near Fort 
Scott, Arkansas." 

The charge made by Winslow's and Philip's Brigades, on 
the 25 til instant, against the command of General Marmaduke 
and near Mound City, was brilliant in the extreme. It was in 
this charge, and after the rout of the enemy that Marmaduke 
and Cabell were captured. General Marmaduke was holding 
Price's rear at the place above designated, and had formed his 
division in line to check our advance. But he had chosen his 
position badly. It was at the foot of a gentle slope, and in 
front of a small creek, skirted with brush. The charge was 
made down the slope at full run, with the 10th Missouri in the 
lead, that regiment being followed by the 4th Iowa, and the 
4th by the 3d. The sight was a magnificent one. When the 
10th came under the withering fire of the enemy, it recoiled 
slightly ; but the 4th dashed on through its line, wheeling par- 
tially to the right, and followed closely by the 3d. The 4th 
Iowa was the first to strike and break the enemy's line. In 
an instant, the whole rebel line was shattered and fleeing in 
confusion. The charge was so sudden and impetuous that 
Marmaduke was left without a command, and a straggler; and 



JOHN W. NOBLE. 603 

thus he was captured. Cabell was captured in like manner. 
Private Dunlavy, the captor of INIarmaduke, was a new recruit, 
and I am told is a bit of a boy. His home is in Davis county. 
Sergeant Young is twenty-four years of age, and a native of 
Ohio. 

Immediately after this brilliant charge General Pleasanton 
issued the following complimentary order: 
"General Orders No. 6. 

"Head-quarters Cavalry Division, 
Fort Scott, Kansas, Oct. 26th, 1864. 

'•The major-general commanding this division, composed of 
troops from the Department of Missouri and Winslow's Brig- 
ade of cavalry, congratulates the officers and men upon the 
brilliant success which has crowned their untiring efforts, 
in this decisive campaign. The battles of Independence, Big 
Blue and Osage river, have resulted in the capture of Major- 
General Marmaduke, Brigadier-General Cabell, four colonels 
and nearly one thousand prisoners, (including a large number 
of field officers) ten pieces of artillery, seven thousand stand of 
arms, the destruction of a large portion of the enemy's train, 
and the routing of their array. The gallant action of Phillip's 
Brigade of Missouri Cavalry, and Winslow's Brigade, in 
capturing eight of the enemy's guns on the Osage, was so dis- 
tinguished as to draw praise from the enemy. ***** The 
regiments of the 4th Brigade [ Winslow's ] are authorized to 
place upon their colors 'Big Blue and Osage.' 

"By command of Major-General Pleasanton, etc." 

Resting one day at Fort Scott, Winslow's Brigade continued 
the pursuit, following Price through Arkansas and the Indian 
Territory, to a point on the Arkansas River about forty miles 
above Fort Smith. They failed to overtake the enemy, and 
soon after turned about, and marched to St. Louis, via Fayette- 
ville and Springfield. 

During the Missouri Campaign, the 3d Iowa Cavalry suffered 
the following loss: six men were killed, and two officers and 
forty-one men wounded. Lieutenant and Adjutant James H. 
Watts was shot near Independence, on the 22d of October, and 



604 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

died soon after of his wounds. First Sergeant Lewis G. Bald- 
win was mortally wounded in the same skirmish. In the 
battle on Big Blue, Captain J. D. Brown, of Company L, and 
twelve enlisted men of the regiment were wounded ; and, in 
that known as the Osage, four enlisted men were killed and 
twenty-four wounded. 

In December, Winslow's Brigade left St. Louis and returned 
to Memphis, where it remained till the 21st instant, and then 
joined General Grierson in his raid through Mississippi. The 
route which Grierson followed was as follows: Marching east 
till he struck the Mobile and Ohio Bailroad at Shannon Station, 
he then turned south and moved down the road until reaching 
Okalona. From Okalona, he marched south-west, passing 
through Bellefontaine and Lexington, and arriving at Vicks- 
burg on the 5th of January, 18G5. Hood, it should be borne in 
mind, had already been frozen out at Nashville, (for he is 
reported to have said that the cold contributed more to his 
defeat than General Thomas) and was hunting head-quarters 
in Northern Mississippi and Alabama. The object of Grier- 
son's raid was to destroy Hood's supplies, and his lines of 
communication, and this was most eflfectually done. Immense 
stores and railroad property were destroyed. 

Only a portion of the 3d Iowa Cavalry accompanied General 
Grierson on this expedition. Colonel Noble commanded the 
detachment, which consisted of eleven commissioned officers 
and three hundred and nine enlisted men. From Vicksburg, 
the 3d Iowa returned by boat with its brigade to Memphis, 
and soon after sailed for Louisville, Kentucky, where ih^ 
regiment was again united. The regiment's next and last 
campaign was that made under Brevet Major-General Wilson 
from Chickasaw on the Tennessee River, to Macon, Georgia. 



JOHN W. NOBLE. 605 

A history of this brilliant march will be found in the sketch of 
Colonel Winslow, of the 4th Iowa Cavalry. 

The enemy were first met on this march at Six-Mile Creek, 
twenty miles from Montevallo. Here the 3d Iowa charged 
and broke the enemy's line, and captured one hundred prison- 
ers. The subsequent engagements were those at Ebenezer 
Church, Selma and Columbus; and in all of them the regiment 
was conspicuous. Its loss, from the time it left Chickasaw till 
its arrival at Macon, was about forty, or nearly twenty per 
cent, larger than the loss of either of the other regiments of the 
brigade. Captain Thomas J. Miller of Company D, who fell at 
Columbus, was the only commissioned officer of the regiment 
killed. He was a young man of steady habits, and of much 
promise. Entering the service as a private of Company D, 
from Davis county, he was first orderly to Colonel Bussey, then 
sergeant, and then lieutenant and captain. It will be remem- 
bered that he was severely wounded on Sturgis' disastrous 
expedition against Forest. I am told that he said, when his 
regiment returned to the front from its veteran furlough, that 
he should never return alive. He was killed by the concussion 
of a shell, which grazed his breast as it passed him, and while 
he was standing in front of his company, just before the charge 
was ordered. Captain B. F. Crail was severely wounded in 
the first engagement at Six-Mile Creek, and Lieutenant J. J. 
Veatch slightly, at Ebenezer Church. These were all the 
casualties among the commissioned officers. Sergeant John 
W. Delay of Company I, was killed at Columbus. 

And thus the 3d Iowa Cavalry closes its brilliant history in 
the War of the Bebellion ; for Lee has surrendered, and John- 
son ; and Davis, the head of the Confederacy, is captured. 

Colonel Noble is a small, black-haired, black-eyed man, with 
good education, good ability, and of remarkable energy and 



606 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

courage. All declare him to be a perfect gentleman, and a 
model soldier. 

I am told that, as soon as news came of the firing on Fort 
Sumpter, Colonel Noble began studying military law and tac- 
tics. From that time forward, he devoted his entire energies 
to military matters ; and, to-day, he is the best versed in mili- 
tary law of any officer from Iowa. He has, in addition to his 
many other excellent traits, a kind heart, and is watchful of 
the interests of his men. He has no superior among the Iowa 
colonels. 



COLONEL ASBURY B. PORTER. 

FIRST COLONEL, FOURTH CxlVALRY. 

AsBURY B. Porter was born in the State of Kentucky, 
in the year 1808. At the time of entering the service, he was 
a resident of Mt. Pleasant, Henry county, Iowa, where, for 
several years, he had followed the business of a merchant and 
trader. Pie first entered the service in May, 1861, as major of 
the 1st Iowa Infantry ; and in that regiment he made a good 
record. His conduct at the battle of Wilson's Creek was men- 
tioned by Lieutenant-Colonel INIerritt in terms of much praise. 
Why he was so unfortunate as colonel of the 4th Iowa Cavalry, 
I am unable to say. He was the first Iowa colonel dismissed 
the service of the United States, by order of the President. 
Before receiving his dismissal, however, he had resigned his 
commission, and returned to his home in Mt. Pleasant. He 
left the service in the spring of 1863. 

The 4th Iowa Cavalry, at the time of entering the service, 
was made up of a fine body of men. The Mt. Pleasant 
schools were largely represented in the regiment; and, in 
addition to this, there was a larger per cent, of men with 
families and homes than in any other Iowa regiment pre- 
viously organized. Its outfit, too, was superior, especially as 
regarded its horses. Colonel Porter served as his own inspec- 
tor, and, being one of the best judges in the State of a good 
horse, he mounted his men in magnificent style. The regi- 
ment promised much, and yet it accomplished little worthy of 
special note, under its original colonel. 

The 4th Iowa Cavalry served first in Central and Southern 
Missouri, and then in Arkansas; and the character of its labors 

607 



608 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

were the same as were those of the 1st Iowa Cavalry, while 
that regiment was stationed in Missouri. They can not be 
detailed with interest. 

Colonel Porter is a short, stocky man, with a broad, oval 
face, beaming with much good nature. I speak of him as he 
looked to me in the stage-coach, in the summer of 1863, on our 
return from the gubernatorial convention. I did not know 
who he was till after we had parted, and consequently formed 
my judgment of his character without prejudice. He is famil- 
iar and pleasing in his manners, and makes friends readily. I 
judged him to be intelligent, and of an extremely social dispo- 
sition, and thought he would be happy and at home with his 
friends at a beer-table. 



COLONEL EDWARD FRANCIS WINSLOW. 

SECOND COLONEL, FOURTH CAVALRY. 

Edward F. Winslow was born in Kennebeck county, 
Maine, on the 28th day of September, 1837. He was raised 
and educated in Augusta, his native town, where he continued 
to live till the spring- of 1856. In 1856, he came to Iowa, and 
settled in Mt. Pleasant, where he entered the mercantile 
business. He was engaged in this business at the time of 
entering the service, in the fall of 1861. 

Colonel Winslow enlisted in the war as captain of Company 
F, 4th Iowa Cavalry. On the 3d of January, 1863, he was 
promoted to a majority in his regiment, which rank he held 
till the 4th of the following July, when he was mustered 
colonel. Since promoted to his present rank, he has been in 
command of his regiment but little. Pie commanded it during 
the month of July, 1863, and also while it was at home on 
veteran furlough. At all other times, if we except a few weeks 
in the fall of 1863, when he was chief of cavalry to the 15th 
Army Corps, he has been in command of a brigade of cavalry. 
With the succession of Colonel Winslow to the command of 
his regiment, a new and more fortunate chapter opened in its 
history. Prior to that time, the discipline of the regiment 
was bad, and its efficiency questionable. Indeed, I am told 
that at one time mutiny was threatened; but, under the new 
commander, order and confidence were soon restored. 

A brief summary of the services of the 4th Iowa Cavalry, 

subsequently to the time it left Helena in the spring of 1863 to 

date, may be given as follows : It led the advance of General 

Sherman's Corps in the march from Milliken's Bend, Louisiana, 
39 609 



610 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

to Jackson, and thence to the rear of Vicksburg; operated 
durhig- the siege of the city on the right-rear of the besieging 
army, and in front of the line held by General Sherman on the 
Big Bear Creek and the Big Black River ; returned with Sher- 
man to Jackson after the fall of Vicksburg, marching thence 
under General Bussey to Canton ; accompanied the expedition 
across the country to Memphis, which passed through Yazoo 
City, Lexington, Grenada and Panola, in August; took part 
in the movement that was made in September, 18G3, to divert 
the attention of the enemy while Sherman was en route witli 
his corps from Memphis to Chattanooga; accompanied the 
roconnoissance made, in October following, by Major-General 
McPherson in the direction of Canton ; led the van of Sher- 
man's army in the rapid march from Vicksburg to ^Meridian, 
Mississippi ; came North on veteran furlough in the early 
spring of 18G4 ; returned to the front in April, and reported at 
Memphis, from which point it marelied on the expeditions of 
General Sturgis against Forest, and on those of General 
A. J. Smith against the same rebel leader; marched from 
Memphis in pursuit of General Price in Missouri, in Septem- 
ber, 1864; accompanied General Grierson in his raid from 
Memphis down the Mobile and Ohio Railroad to Okalona, and 
thence to Vicksburg ; and, finally, reporting to General Wilson, 
accompanied that officer in his brilliant and successful march 
through Alabama and Georgia, to Macon. 

Two instances are given, where officers of the 4th Iowa, in 
command of detachments of their regiment, distinguished 
themselves in rear of Vicksburg. The following occurred just 
after the investment of the city: "Being ordered to Haines' 
Bluff on a reconnoissance, the regiment was halted at Mill 
Dale, and Captain Peters [now lieutenant-colonel] with twenty 
men of Company B, went to the point indicated in the order, 



EDWARD F. WINSLOW. 611 

capturing seven men, nine large siege-guns, and a quantity of 
ammunition, remaining in tlie works until the gun-boat De 
Kail), which had been signaled by Captain Peters, came up and 
received the prisoners, cannon, &c. Captain Peters and the 
regiment are justly entitled to the credit of capturing this 
strong-hold." 

The other instance is that where Major Parkell, with a 
detachment of one hundred and twenty-five men from Com- 
panies A, K, F, and I, was suddenly surrounded while on a 
scout in the vicinity of Big Black River. The enemy, whose 
strength was estimated at not loss than six hundred, demanded 
instant surrender; but the major, instead, resolved to fight his 
way out, and succeeded. The fight was short, but most bitter, 
as I have been informed by Captain Zollars of the regiment; 
and, indeed, the list of casualties evidences as much. One 
officer and ten enlisted men were killed, and the wounded and 
captured numbered thirty-three. Lieutenant Joshua Gardner 
was one of the killed, and Lieutenant ^y. J. McConnellee was 
captured. 

The operations of General Sherman in his expeditionary 
march against Johnson, after the fall of Vicksburg, have been 
fully detailed elsewhere, and can not be repeated with interest. 
After returning from that expedition, the 4th Iowa Cavalry 
rested near the Big Black till the 10th of August, and then left 
on a raid through the country to Memphis. As already stated, 
the line of march lay through Yazoo City, Lexington and 
Grenada. This expedition was commanded by Colonel Wins- 
low, and resulted in the destruction of much of the Mississippi 
Central Railroad, and the burning of a large amount c;f railroad 
stock. 

The 4th Cavalry re-enlisted as a veteran regiment in the 
winter of 18G3-4, and, immediately after its return from the 



612 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

Meridian marcli, came North on veteran furlough. On the 
expiration of its furlough, Colonel Winslow left in command 
of it for the front, and was proceeding to Vicksburg, when he 
received orders from General Sherman assigning him to duty 
under General Sturgis, at Memphis. The regiment reached 
Memphis on the 23d of Aj^ril, and from that time till the last 
of July following was almost constantly in the saddle and on 
the scout. Indeed, from that time till its arrival at Macon, 
Georgia, nearly one year later, the regiment enjoyed little rest. 
At Memphis, in the spring of 1864, the regiment was brigaded 
with the 8d Iowa and 10th Missouri Cavalry, and all its subse- 
quent history has been made with those regiments. The bri- 
gade, from the time of its organization, has been under the 
command of Colonel Winslow. 

Among the operations participated in by the 4th Iowa 
Cavalry, that of General Sturgis against Forest, made in the 
early part of June, 1864, is prominent. If the expedition 
terminated disastrously, it did not with discredit to this 
regiment ; for few soldiers have ever shown greater patience, 
endurance and courage in the hour of calamitous defeat than 
did those of the 4th Iowa Cavalry, and I should add, of the 
entire 2d Brigade. The regiment left Memphis on this expedi- 
tion the 2d or 3d of June, marching by way of La Fayette, 
Salem, Rucksville and Ripley, where it arrived in the forenoon 
of the 7th instant. Thus far the march was made in an almost 
incessant shower of rain ; but no enemy had been encountered. 
That evening, however. Company C of the 3d Iowa Cavalry, 
while out in search of forage, was attacked by rebel cavalry in 
considerable force, and a sharp skirmish, lasting nearly an 
hour, followed. In this skirmish two companies of the 4th 
Iowa were engaged, and lost four men wounded. On the 8th 
and 9th, the advance was continued in the direction of Gun- 
town, or Baldwin, without opposition, though evidences of the 



EDWARD F. WINSLOW. 613 

nearness of the enemy were seen all along the route. The 1st 
Brigade of Cavalry led the advance on the morning of the 10th 
instant, and was the first to engage the enemy in the disastrous 
battle of Guntown, or rather of Brice's Cross Roads; for Gun- 
town was nearly six miles distant from the battle-field. 

Guntown, Mississippi, is situated in a region of country 
which is made up of barren hills and difficult morasses. In 
this same region of country the Hatchie, Tallahatchie and 
Tombigbee Rivers take their rise. Just north of Brice's Cross 
Roads, where the main battle was fought, was one of these 
swamps; and through this, General Sturgis must march to 
meet the enemy. The roads, which are narrow and difficult of 
passage in their best stages, were, at the time in question, in a 
wretched condition, rendered so from the incessant rains. 
Indeed General Sturgis, to a large extent, attributed his defeat 
to the condition of the weather and roads, and in that he was 
doubtless correct ; but he offers no excuse for bolting down into 
that difficult swamp with his whole train, while the rattle of 
musketry was telling him of the presence of the enemy in 
force, not more than two miles in advance. 

On the evening of the 9th instant, Sturgis encamped at 
Stubb's plantation, fifteen miles from Ripley, and some seven 
miles from where the enemy were first encountered. The 
march was resumed on the following morning, the cavalry 
leaving their camp at five o'clock, and the infantry following 
closely on their heels. The manner in which the engagement 
opened, and its progress till the arrival of the infantry. Gen- 
eral Sturgis gives as follows in his official report: 

"On f/iis morning I had preceded the head of the infantry 
column, and arrived at a point some five miles from camp, 
when I found an unusually bad place in the road, and one that 
would require considerable time and labor to render it practi- 
cable. While halting here to await the head of the column, I 



614 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

received a message from General Grierson that he had ezieoun- 
tered a portion of the enemy's cavalry. In a few minutes 
more, I received another message, saying the enemy numbered 
six hundred, and were on tlie Baldwin road; that he was him- 
self at Brice's Cross Roads, and that his position was a good 
one and he would hold it. He was then directed to leave six 
or seven hundred men at the cross-roads to precede the infantry 
on its arrival, in the march on Guntown, and, with the remain- 
der of his force, to drive the enemy toward Baldwin, and 
then rejoin the main body by way of the line of railroad, as I 
did not intend being drawn from my main purpose. 

'* Colonel McMillen now came up, and I rode forward toward 
the cross-roads. Before proceeding far, however, I sent a staff 
officer back, directing McMillen to move up his advance bri- 
gade as rajaidly as possible, without distressing his troops. 
When I reached the cross-roads I found nearly all the cavalry 
engaged, and the battle growing warm ; but no artillery had 
yet opened on either side. We had four pieces of artillery at 
the cross-roads; but they had not been placed in position, 
owing to the dense woods on all sides and the apparent impos- 
sibility of using them to advantage. Finding that our troops 
were being hotly pressed, I ordered one section to open on the 
enemy's reserves. The enemy's artillery soon replied, and 
with great accuracj^, every shell bursting over and in the 
immediate vicinity of our guns. Frequent calls were now 
made for reinforcements ; but until the infantry should arrive 
I had, of course, none to give. Colonel Winslow, 4th Iowa 
Cavalry, commanding a brigade, and occupying a position on 
the Guntown road a little in advance of the cross-roads, was 
especially clamorous to be relieved, and permitted to carry his 
brigade to the rear. ******** 

"About half-past one P. M., the infantry began to arrive. 
Colonel Hoge's Brigade was the first to reach the field, and was 
placed in position by Colonel McMillen, when the enemy was 
driven a little. General Grierson now requested authority to 
withdraw the entire cavalry, as it was exhausted and well nigh 
out of ammunition. This I authorized as soon as sufficient 
infantry was in position to permit it, and he was directed to 
organize his command in the rear, and hold it in readiness to 
operate on the flanks." 



EDWARD F. WINSLOW. 615 

The rest may soon be told ; for alarm begun to seize on all. 
The enemy, seeing their successes, pressed their victory with 
great energy and determination, and the infantry line was 
hardly formed before it was broken. General Grierson was 
called on for cavalry to support the right flank, and it no sooner 
met the enemy in that quarter than it was repulsed. An effort 
to hold the left was equally unsuccessful. All saw that the day 
was lost, and acted with indecision and irresolution. Sturgis 
was already driven from the high ground, and beaten back on 
his wagon-train. This, he made a spasmodic eflbrt to save; 
but, seeing the enemy in heavy columns swinging by his left 
flank, he gave the order to retreat. And such a retreat ! Every 
thing but his army, and much of that was lost. For the portion 
saved, he was indebted chiefly to the cavalry, and in no slight 
degree to the Iowa cavalry regiments. It is positively asserted 
that the 2d Brigade, of Grierson's Division, reached Collier- 
ville (and the enemy made pursuit to that point) in a less 
disorganized condition than any other brigade command of the 
army. 

The list of casualties of the 4th Iowa cavalry in the battle at 
Brice's Cross Roads and in the retreat to Collierville is not 
given. The regiment's historian. Adjutant Ambrose Hodge, 
closes his account of this affair as follows : 

" On arriving at Collierville, the men had been in the saddle 
fifty-four consecutive hours, fighting the greater part of the 
time without feed for their horses or provisions for themselves. 
The regiment arrived at Memphis, on the 14th instant, the 
men and horses being completely worn down by excessive labor 
performed on this march. The distance traveled was three 
hundred and fifty miles." 

Following the disastrous expedition of General Sturgis, was 
that of General A. J. Smith; and the latter was as successful 
&s the former had been unfortunate. The 4th Iowa Cavalry 
joined Smith on this march, and fought in the battle of Tupelo; 



616 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

but au account of this expedition has ah-eatly been given in 
the sketch of Colonel Woods of the 12th Iowa Infantry. 
Neither in this, nor in the second expedition of General Smith 
against Forest, are the losses of the regiment stated. It was 
during the absence of the 4th Cavalry, or rather of eleven com- 
panies of it, in August, that Forest dashed into Memphis, on a 
hurried call on General Washburne. Company C was left 
behind, being detailed on provost-duty in the city, and was 
the only company of the regiment that, actually encountered 
Forest. In this affair, the company lost Lieutenant L. P. 
Baker, severely wounded. It is reported as having' conducted 
itself with much gallantry. 

Next, in the history of the regiment, follows the expedition 
against General Price in Missouri, an account of which has 
been given in the sketch of Colonel Noble and his regiment. 
During the Missouri Campaign, Colonel Winslow was severely 
wounded. He was shot in the leg, while his brigade was 
charging the enemy, on the Big Blue Biver, near Westport. 
Though severely wounded, it is stated he refused to leave his 
command till the enemy had been driven from the field. 

In the charge made on the 2oth of October, near the Osage, 
the 4th Iowa Cavalry captured two hundred and thirty-five 
prisoners, and two stand of colors, and lost during the expedi- 
tion four killed and twenty-six wounded. Lieutenant H. W. 
Curtis, of Company F, was killed in the charge on the Osage, 
and Major A. R. Pierce, commanding the regiment, was 
severely wounded in the foot. Among those mentioned for 
special gallantry during the campaign, were Major Pierce, 
Captains Drummond, Dana and Lee, all commanding battalions 
of the regiment, and Lieutenant and Acting Adjutant John S. 
Keck. Company commanders, in all cases, managed their com- 
mands in a manner highly creditable to themselves. 



EDWARD F. WINSLOW. 617 

If we except the expedition made by General Grierson 
through Mississippi, late in December, 1864, there remains but 
one more important campaign to be recorded in the history of 
the 4th Iowa Cavalry— that made under General Wilson 
through Alabama and Georgia. 

On the route from Missouri to the Military Division of the 
Mississippi, and during the few weeks of rest that the brigade 
of Colonel Winslow enjoyed before starting on the Macon 
march, there is little of special interest; and I therefore pass at 
once to the history of the memorable raid. Brevet Major- 
General Wilson, with a cavalry corps numbering about twelve 
thousand men, left Chickasaw on the Tennessee on the 21st of 
March, 1865, for a destination known to few of his command. 
The outfit was extensive and had been long in making; and it 
was known to the command that the expectations of the com- 
manding general were commensurate with his preparations, 
and that was all. The rest, the future must disclose. The route 
of the column was nearly south-south-east, till its arrival at 
Montevallo. From that point, it was south to Selma, and 
thence, nearly due east, to Montgomery, Columbus and Macon. 
In this line of march was included four of the most important 
inland cities of the Confederacy — important as places of note 
and pride, and as manufacturing points. 

Let me state, while I have it in mind, that, on the march in 
question, the 3d and 4th Iowa Cavalry were attached to the 
division of General Upton, (the 4th) and the 5th and 8th to 
that of General McCook. These were the only Iowa troops 
who accompanied the march. 

The enemy first made a determined stand at Six-Mile Creek, 
between Montevallo and Selma. They had just previously 
occupied Montevallo, with the expectation of defending it ; 
but, on the near approach of the Federal column, their hearts 



618 IOWA COLONELS AND BEGIMENTS. 

failed them, and they fled in the direction of Selma. At Six- 
Mile Creek, the enemy were under Clialmers, Roddy and 
Lyon, with the inhuman wretch, Forest, as commander-in- 
chief. The battle was fought on the last day of March, and on 
that day the division of General Upton was in the lead of the 
column. The enemy were found in a strong position, which 
was defended by artillery; but after some skirmishing they 
were charged and routed, losing their artillery and more than 
two hundred prisoners. The second fight was at Ebenezer 
Church, about twenty miles from Selma. Here the enemy 
were no more successful ; for after a brief engagement they 
were a second time routed and forced back toward Selma. 
This battle was fought on the 1st of April. The following 
day, General Wilson defeated Forest for the third time, and 
entered and occupied Selma. 

Selma, on the north bank of the Alabama, and one of the 
chief railroad-centres of that State, was defended by two lines 
of works, each swinging entirely round the city, and resting 
on the right and left of the river bank. The outer line was 
guarded by a strong palisade. This strong-hold was captured 
by two divisions of the Federal troops — Generals Upton's and 
Long's. General Long took position on the right, and General 
Upton on the left. Line of battle was formed on the high 
ground, and, after the usual skirmishing and signaling, an 
assault was ordered. As in all successful charges, the work 
was well and quickly done. With less than three thousand 
men, the outer works were carried, in the face of artillery and 
nine thousand muskets; and only some two thousand of the 
latter were in the hands of the citizen militia. 

In taking the outer line of works, the 3d Iowa Cavalry was 
in the front, and the 4th, in reserve; but, in taken the second 
line, the 4th held the front. Lieutenant George W. Stamm, of 



EDWARD F. WIXSLOW. G19 

the 3d Iowa Cavalry, who wields a good pen and I believe a 
good sword, says: "Immediately after we took possession of 
fortifications, the 4th Iowa Cavalry were mounted, and rushed 
on the flying foe with an impetuosity which nothing could 
withstand. Weary, out of breath and heated with our double- 
quick, we saw them pass us like a whirlwind, scattering death 
and confusion among the Johnnies, while the brass band that 
had boldly ventured to the front was playing the enlivening 
strains of 'Yankee Doodle,' in singular unison with the rattle 
of musketry and the shouts of victory." Thus Selma was 
captured, the great military store-house and manufacturing 
depot for the Confederates, in Alabama. The enemy lost many 
killed and wounded, and about two thousand prisoners. 

Montgomery fell without a struggle, as also did jNIacon, 
Georgia ; but Columbus, Georgia, made a determined defense. 
General Wilson appeared before the place at noon of the IGth 
of April, and that evening carried it, as he had Selma, by 
assault. Columbus is situated on the east bank of the 
renowned Chattahoochie ; but the works that protected it from 
the west, and which General Wilson was obliged to carry, 
were on the west bank of the stream. Both above and below 
the city, bridges spanned the Chattahoochie : the approaches 
to each were covered by artillery, mounted in strong forts. 
Rifle-pits and other defenses commanded the approaches in 
every other quarter westward. The 2d Brigade of General 
Upton's Division first approached the city, and when near the 
works that defended the lower bridge made a charge with the 
hope of carrying the position and gaining the bridge. They 
were unsuccessful, being repulsed with much loss. Colonel 
Winslow's First Brigade now coming up was sent back by the 
commanding general, and directed to gain, by a circuitous 
route, a position in rear of the upper bridge. The movement 



620 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

was successfully made, and at dusk in the evening a cliarge 
was ordered which resulted in the fall of Columbus. As at 
Selma, the 3d and 4th Iowa Cavalry were in the front line. 
Indeed, there was little fighting done during the whole cam- 
paign in which these regiments did not have part. 

I have already said that the last fighting of the expedition 
was done at Columbus. After resting here one day, General 
Wilson marched on Macon ; but when near the city, he was 
advised of the terms agreed on between Sherman and Johnson, 
and informed that his entrance into the place would not be 
opposed. The 4th Iowa Cavalry is now in camp at Macon, and 
the war is virtually ended. 

The loss of the regiment during the campaign was not very 
severe. Captain E. R. Jones, Chief Bugler Tabor, and Sergeant 
Beezley, were among the killed, and Quarter-Master Sergeant 
Detrick and Sergeant Stocks among the wounded. The entire 
loss of the regiment in killed and wounded was, I think, 
twenty-five. Captain Jones was killed in the charge at Selma. 

I never saw Colonel Winslow, but am told he has an intelli- 
gent and pleasing countenance, and a feminine voice. He is a 
man of great energy, great ambition and unlimited self-confi- 
dence. All agree that he is a splendid officer. He has both the 
courage and the skill to handle troops successfully in the face 
of the enemy. His worst fault, if it can be termed a fault, is 
his self-conceit, which sometimes discovers itself immodestly. 



COLONEL WILLIAM W. LOWE. 

FIFTH CAVALRY. 

W, W. Lowe, at the time of being mustered colonel of the 
5th Iowa Cavalry, or Curtis Horse, was a captain in the regular 
army, which is all I know of him. 

The 5th Iowa Cavalry is not strictly an Iowa regiment, for a 
majority of the men composing it are not citizens of Iowa. 
The regiment was organized at Benton Barracks, near St. 
Louis, Missouri, early in 18G2, and in pursuance of an order 
from the War Department, "directing the organization of a 
cavalry regiment, to be called the Curtis Horse." It was made 
up of troops from Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota 
and Illinois. M. T. Patrick was its lieutenant-colonel, and a 
Nebraska man; Carl Schaffer de Boernstein, William Kelsay 
and Alfred B. Brackett were its majors, the two former being 
from Iowa, and the latter from Minnesota. Companies E and 
F, and parts of Companies A, B, C and H, are from Iowa. One 
company of the regiment, (L) known as the Irish Dragoons, 
had seen service, and had proud antecedents. It formed part 
of the command of Major Zagonyi, at the time he made his 
brilliant charge into Springfield, Missouri, during the Fremont 
Campaign. In the charge, it lost its captain severely wounded, 
and its first-lieutenant killed. 

The 5th Iowa Cavalry left St. Louis for the front, on the 8th 
of February, 1862, and first served in Tennessee. Indeed, the 
head-quarters of the regiment were maintained at Forts Henry 
and Donelson and vicinity, a principal portion of the time 
from the 12th of February, 1862, till the 5th of June, 1863, 

when they were transferred, by order of General Rosecrans, to 

621 



622 IOWA COLONELS AND IIEGIMI<:XT3. 

Murfreesboro. The services of the oth Iowa, for the first year 
and a half, were more arduous than brilliant. The regiment 
was kept constantly on the scout. It took part in no severe 
engagements, where the dead and wounded were counted by 
scores, and consequently gained little distinction. While serv- 
ing in North-Western Tennessee, the following are among the 
most important operations of the regiment. 

Immediately after the fall of Fort Donelson, a detachment 
of the 5th Iowa under Lieutenant-Colonel Patrick moved up 
the Tennessee, by order of General Grant, to destroy the 
Memphis and Ohio Ilailroad-bridge, over the Tennessee Hiver. 
The object of the expedition was successfully accomplished ; 
and this was the regiment's first march. INIarch 11th, Captain 
Craft led a battalion of the oth Iowa to Paris, Tennessee, with 
a view of dispersing a rebel force under Colonel Clay King, 
who was enforcing the rebel conscript-law in the neighbor- 
hood. This expedition resulted in quite a serious engagement, 
in which the regiment lost its fn-stmcn killed in battle; seven 
were killed and wounded. Late in March, 1862, Comi)anies 
C, I and M, of the regiment, were detached, and ordered on 
duty with the Army of the Tennessee, then lying at Savannah. 
Major Brackett commanded the detachment, which was absent 
from the regiment for the period of five months. 

The first serious misfortune which befel the regiment was 
the loss of its gallant major, Carl Schaffer de Boernstein. He 
was mortally wounded in the evening of the 6th of May, near 
Loughridge's Mills, Tennessee, and died the next day. On the 
3d of May, a detachment of the regiment, under command of 
the major, had marched, by order of Colonel Lowe, beyond 
Paris, to the neighborhood of the Obion River, for pur- 
poses of reconnoissance. On the 6th instant, the detachment 
had completed its marching for the day, and gone into camp. 



WILLIAM W. -LOWE. 623 

Having thrown out pickets, they began preparing their supper, 
when they were startled by firing on the pi.ket-line. The men 
seized their guns, and, under the direction of tlie major, formed 
line of battle; but they were almost instantly assaulted by a 
superior rebel force under Colonel Clayborne, and, after a short 
struggle, completely routed. The major was shot while cheer- 
ing his men to continue the struggle. Lieutenant William T. 
Hays, the regiment's historian, pays this gallant officer the 
following tribute : 

The untimely death of INIajor Schaffer was deeply deplored 
by the regiment. A nobleman by birth, he left his fatherland 
on account of political troubles, and sought an asylum in the 
land of the free; and, in defense of the country of his adoption, 
he poured out his blood on the battle-field. Only a short time 
before his death, he had succeeded to his paternal titles and 
estate of the Barony of Boernstein. The gallant major had 
preferred service in the army of the United States, to a life of 
inglorious ease. His body was forwarded to Dubuque, Iowa, 
and attended to the tomb by a larger concourse of citizens than 
had ever assembled there before on a similar occasion." 

Captains Plaw and Van Minden were wounded in this same 
engagement, at Loughridge's Mills. 

From the 10th of May till the latter part of August, 1862, 
the ;jth Iowa continued on the scout, but without any thing 
happening worthy of special mention: during this time, Colo- 
nel Lowe had command of Forts Henry and Donelson, and 
also of Fort Heiman. 

On the 26th of August, the rebel Colonel Woodward attacked 
Major Hart at Fort Donelson, with a force, numbering about 
six hundred. Colonel Low^e, who was at the time at Fort 
Heiman, marched to the major's relief; but before his arrival 
the enemy had been repulsed. He at once started in pursuit, 
and came on the rebel pickets near the mines of the Cumber- 
land Iron Works. A sharp engagement followed, in which 
the regiment lost twelve killed and wounded: all the casualties 



624 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

were from Company B. Lieutenant McNeely was severely, and 
Lieutenant Summers mortally wounded. 

Of Lieutenant Milton S. Summers, Lieutenant Hays says: 
"A more gallant officer never drew sword for his country. 
Riddled with balls, he fell from his horse near the enemy's 
cannon, and was surrounded by a crowd of them, who 
attempted to bayonet him ; but, although unable to rise to his 
feet, h(; cut at his assailants with his sabre, and split one of 
them from the shoulder to the centre of his body, and cut the 
hand of another nearly off. He fought with his sabre till it 
become so bent as to be useless, and then shot five times with 
his revolver, when the crowd of rebels, pressing on him from 
all sides, wrenched his pistol from his grasp, and made him a 
prisoner. When taken, he had seven minnie balls in his body, 
and a bayonet- wound in his thigh." Lieutenant Summers 
was a native of Illinois, and a resident of Glenwood, Mills 
county, Iowa. 

After this affair at the Cumberland Iron Works, the rebel 
forces remained in the neighborhood of Fort Donelson for 
many weeks, giving constant annoyance to the Federal troops. 
Several expeditions were sent out to disperse them, and thus 
the Fall and Winter, and following Spring passed. On one of 
these expeditions, Lieutenant Gallagher, of Company L, was 
killed. 

On the 5th of June, 1863, the 5th Iowa Cavalry left its old 
field of operations for one which, if it did not promise greater 
activity, promised better reward. General Rosecrans sum- 
moned it to Murfreesboro. That general was about assuming 
the offensive against Bragg, and the 5th Iowa was among the 
troops the Government gave him, to enable him to push his 
operations to success. The regiment arrived at Murfreesboro 
on the 11th of June, 18G3, and served under General Rosecrans 



WILLIAM W. LOWE. 62-5 

till he was superseded. It was the only Iowa regiment in the 
celebrated Army of the Cumberland. Rosecrans began mov- 
ing his army about the middle of June, and, from that time 
till the rebel army was flanked and forced from its intrench- 
ments, the 5th Iowa was constantly in the saddle, and riding 
from one wing of the army to the other. After Bragg had 
been forced back across the mountains, the regiment was sta- 
tioned in the rear, to protect the line of communications, and 
to guard supply-trains to the front. During the months of 
July and August, it served, a chief portion of the time, at 
Murfreesboro ; but, on the 6th of September, except Companies 
I and K, left for McMinnville, Tennessee. 

Early in October, 18G.3, the rebel General Wheeler appeared 
in Middle Tennessee, threatening General Thomas' commu- 
nications to the roar. He had crossed the mountains, and wsis 
hourly looked for at almost any point along the line of the 
Nashville and Chattiinooga Railroad. Accordingly, on the 4th 
of October, Colonel Lowe, who was at the time in camp with 
his regiment near Winchester, received orders to move in the 
direction of Murfreesboro. On the 6th instant, he reached 
Tullahoma, where he learned that Wheeler was in force at 
Wartoace. He accordingly proceeded to Duck River Bridge, 
where he left his train, and then moved rapidly against the 
enemy. They were found in force in the woods near the town, 
and engaged and driven in the direction of Shelby ville. The 
5th Iowa made pursuit, pressed them through Shelbyville and 
to the Tennessee River, which Wheeler succeeded in crossing, 
by breaking his force up into small detachments. Having thus 
escaped, he re-organized his troops, and moved out through 
Tuscumbia. It was this same force which fought Sherman's 
advance at Cherokee and other places, while that general 
was on his way from Corinth to Chattanooga. 

40 



626 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

After Wheeler had been driven across the Tennessee, the oth 
Iowa Cavalry turned on the forces of Roddy, reported in the 
vicinity of Iluntsville and Athens, but after marching as far 
as Salem, Tennessee, turned back with its division to Mays- 
ville, Alabama, where it arrived on the 17tli of October, 
and went into camp. In November following, Major Young 
of the 5th Cavalry performed a most successful raid along the 
Tennessee Iliver, for which he received the special thanks of 
Major-General Thomas, The fruits of the expedition are given 
thus by Lieutenant Hays : 

"In this expedition, in which the 5th Iowa Cavalry bore so 
prominent a part, a rebel captain and eight soldiers were cap- 
tured, nine large ferry boats captured and destroyed, (eight 
of them from under the enemy's guns) two hundred fine mules 
and horses captured, one mill in the possession and employ of 
the enemy destroyed, and contrabands brouglit in to complete 
the organization of a regiment then forming at INIaysville.'' 

The following is from General Thomas : 

•'BriGxVdier General George Crook, 

Commanding 2d Cavalry Division, Maysville, Alabama. 

" * * The major-general commanding directs that you tender 
his thanks to Major Young, for the brave, energetic and 
prudent manner, in which the expedition was conducted." 

Major J. Morris Young is a native of Indiana, and an Iowa 
man, having entered the service from Page county. 

The month of December was passed in scouting through 
Northern Alabama, principally along the Tennessee Iliver. 
During the operations of this month, Sergeants McGuire and 
Ireland, and Private Ireland, of the 5th Iowa Cavalry, were 
the heroes of a story which deserves to be related at length. 

"On the 19th of December, Major Brackett sent Sergeants 
McGuire and Ireland, and Private Ireland, all of Company H, 
to Paint Rock, with letters and dispatches. When within four 
miles of Paint Rock, the party were captured by twenty-one 
guerrillas, and taken to the mountains, where they were strip- 
ped of their clothing and money. Private Ireland, who had 



WILLIAM W. LOWE. 627 

, charge of the dispatches, secreted them inside his drawers, 

I where the enemy failed to find them. Next morning, the 

{ prisoners were left under guard of two guerrillas, while th© 

I balance of the gang went down the mountain to watch for 

I more booty. Our brave boys watched their opportunity, 

! sprang on the guards, took their guns away from them, and 

i told them to go down the mountain and give no alarm, and 

! their lives should be spared; but, after going about fifty yards, 

j the guards drew their revolvers, (which our men, in the excite- 

I ment, had overlooked) and commenced firing, but without 

effect. Our men then fired, killing both the guerrillas, and 

made their escape to camp. The bodies of the guerrillas were 

found next day, where they fell, their companions having 

decamped in such haste as to leave them unburied." 

The 5th Iowa Cavalry re-enlisted as veterans in December, 
and in the following month were granted veteran furlough. 
Returning to tlie field in March, the regiment lay at Nashville 
(except a part of it, which guarded railroad at Pulaski) till 
the 8th of the following July, when it joined General Kosseau 
at Decatur, preparatory to starting on the celebrated Alabama 
raid. This was a most daring undertaking, and it will be 
interesting to know the troops composing the command. They 
were the 8th Indiana, 2d Kentucky, 9th Ohio, 5th Iowa and 
4th Tennessee, (all cavalry regiments) and a section of artillery. 

The object of this expedition was to make a diversion in 
favor of General Sherman, then well on his way to Atlanta, 
and to destroy important lines of rebel communication. It was 
a complete success, and was made with less sacrifice of life and 
property than any other like expedition of the war. 

General Rosseau, equipped with fine horses, and with five 
days' rations of bread and bacon and fifteen of sugar and coffee, 
marched quietly out of Decatur, in the afternoon of Sunday, 
the 10th of July, and the first night rested in Summerville. 
Taking a south-easterly course, his line of march lay through 



628 IOWA COLONELS AND EEGIMENTS. 

the following points : Summit, Blountsville, over Sand Moun- 
tain, Ashville, Springville, Jackson's Ford, Talladega, Stone's 
Ferry across the Tallapoosa River, Dadeville, and Lochepoga 
on the line of the West Point and Montgomery Railroad. 
Tfm was the objective point. The march progressed without 
accident, until the arrival at Springville, on the Coosa River, 
in the evening of the 13th of July. The 5th Iowa Cavalry 
was, at the time in question, rear-guard, and was some three 
or four hundred yards behind the main column, when Captains 
Curl and Wilcox, riding forward in the interval between their 
own regiment and the mule-train, were ambushed by guerril- 
las. Being ordered to surrender, they turned back their horses 
to escape, when the marauders fired, killing Captain Curl 
instantly, and seriously wn)unding Captain Wilcox 

Crossing the Coosa at Jackson's Ford, so christened from 
General Jackson having crossed at that point during the Creek 
War, the command marched in the direction of Talladega, 
and, during the day, destroyed some extensive rebel iron 
works. At Talladega on the line of the Blue Mountain and 
Selma Railroad, General Rosseau burned a large depot, stored 
with cotton and extensive rebel supplies, and destroyed the 
telegraph and the railroad for a considerable distance. Loch- 
epoga was finally reached in the evening of the I7th instant. 
This, as I have said, was the objective point. It was situated 
on one of the chief arteries of the Confederacy— that connect- 
ing Atlanta and the East with Montgomery and the Gulf. 
Its destruction would be an irreparable damage to the enemy, 
and was a misfortune they never looked for. 

The work of destruction was at once begun. All that night, 
one-half of the command worked tearing up the road and 
burning bridges and trestle-work, while the other half watched 
for the enemy, and rested on their arms. Near Chehaw^, some 



WILLIAM W. LOWE. 629 

ten miles west of Lochepoga, was a long line of trestle-work, 
which, on the morning of the 18th instant, Major Beard of the 
5th Iowa Cavalry, with a small command, was sent out to 
destroy ; but he met the enemy twelve hundred strong a few 
miles out, and was driven back. Reinforcements were sent for 
and came up, when an engagement ensued, which resulted in 
the defeat of the enemy and the complete destruction of the 
road. That same afternoon, the 18th, General Rosseau left 
Lochepoga, moving in the direction of West Point on the 
Georgia and Alabama line. He passed through Auburn, and 
as far east as Opelika, destroying the road all the way. 

The enemy were now filled with alarm ; for rumor had mag- 
nified the Federal force to fabulous numbers, and they looked 
for a direct advance on Atlanta. Rebel troops were therefore 
summoned from every quarter to West Point, where they were 
to make a desperate stand. But Rosseau left them watching, 
and quietly took himself in the direction of the Federal lines. 
Leaving the West Point road at Opelika, he marched in a 
north-easterly course, and, passing through La Fayette, Rock 
Mills, Carrollton and Villa Rica, reached the Federal pickets 
at Sweet Water Bridge, at noon of the 22d of July. That 
evening he marched into Marietta. 

The results of this expedition are summed up as follows: It 
was out thirteen days, "during which time the command 
marched three hundred and eighty miles, entirely in the ene- 
my's territory, destroyed thirty-five miles of railroad, five 
large depots filled with cotton and supplies for the rebel army, 
one shot and shell manufactory, one locomotive and train of 
cars, and captured many valuable horses and mules, inflicting 
a loss on the enemy estimated at twenty millions of dollars. 
All this was accomplished with a loss to us of one captain and 
four privates killed, and one captain and eight privates 



630 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

wounded. All the above loss was in the 5th Iowa Cavalry, 
except one man of the 8th Indiana Cavalry, wounded," 
ample evidence, showing the part that regiment bore in the 
brilliant and successful raid. 

After a few days' rest, the 5th Iowa Cavalry started on the 
McCook raid to the rear of Atlanta, a history of which luckless 
affair will be found in the sketch of Colonel Dorr and his regi- 
ment. The regiment lost in this raid one hundred and twenty- 
one officers and men in killed, wounded and captured. Lieu- 
tenant Andrew Guler was killed, and Lieutenant William T. 
Hays, the regiment's historian, captured. Next in its history 
is the advance on Jonosboro, which the regiment, with the 
cavalry troops under Kilpatrick, led. In this movement, it 
lost nineteen killed and wounded, the largest list of casualties 
in proportion to the number engaged that was sustained by 
any regiment in the engagement. 

On the 8th of August, 1864, by special order of the War 
Department, the veterans of the 5th Iowa Infantry were con- 
solidated with the 5th Iowa Cavalry, and thus the noble oth 
Infixntry lost its organization. The two commands were uni- 
ted early in September, and, not long after, were sent back to 
Nashville to be re-mounted and re-fitted for the field. At 
Nashville, the regiment took part, under General Thomas, in 
beating back Hood from that city ; and, finally, after several 
weeks' rest, joined General Wilson in his brilliant march 
through Alabama and Georgia. It is now stationed near 
Macon, Georgia, with the prospect of being soon mustered out 
of the service. 



COLONEL DAVID STOKELY WILSON. 

FIRST COLOXEL, SIXTH CAVALRY. 

David S. Wilson is a native of Steubenville, Ohio, where 
he was born on the 18th of March, 1823. Both on the paternal 
and maternal side he came of loyal stock. His father was a 
Bevolutionary soldier, and later, for twenty years, was an 
United States receiver of public moneys at Steubenville. 
The father died when the son was six years of age, leaving 
him to be cared for and instructed by his mother. Upon the 
organization of the Iowa Territorial Courts, Thomas Wilson, 
an older brother of David, received the appointment of Judge 
of the Northern District. In 1841, David joined his brother 
at Dubuque, and passed his first year in Iowa, in opening up 
a farm of his brother's, near that place. The next year he 
entered the office of the "Miner's Express," the old-time 
Democratic organ at Dubuque, and shortly after purchased 
an interest in the concern. He held the editorial depart- 
ment. 

In 1844, he was elected a member of the Territorial House of 
Representatives, but with this exception confined himself to 
the editorial duties of the "Express" till the declaration of 
war with Mexico. Then he began enlisting a company for the 
service, and succeeded so well as to secure a lieutenancy. He 
was ordered with his command to relieve Captain, later Gen- 
eral Sumner, who was stationed at Fort Crawford, Prairie du 
Chien. Lieutenant Wilson continued in the service about three 
years, a chief portion of this time being stationed at Fort 
Atkinson, and having charge of the Winnebagos. This tribe 

631 



632 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

of Indians he assisted in removing to their reservation in Min- 
nesota. 

While stationed at Fort Atkinson, I am told he devoted his 
leisure moments to the study of law; and the knowledge thus 
gained enabled him, soon after leaving the service, to enter the 
law practice. lie opened an office in Dubuque, and made the 
law his business till the breaking out of the rebellion. I should 
not omit to state that in 1857 he was elected to the State Senate 
from the Dubuque District. He was a democrat; but I need 
not have added that, for he was elected from Dubuque. 

The services of the Gth Iowa Cavalry, like those of the 7th, 
are for the most part tame and uneventful. The regiment has 
served constantly on the Western Frontier, with head-quarters, 
the most of the time, at Sioux City. The history of its 
marches and campaigns may be found in General Sully's 
reports of his operations against the Indians in Dacotah Terri- 
tory. In the latter part of August, 1863, Colonel Wilson 
marched with his regiment on General Sully's expedition up 
the Little Cayenne, and took part in the battle fought with 
twelve or fifteen thousand warriors near the head-waters of 
Elm Kiver. 

The above is the most important engagement the regiment 
ever took part in. 

Colonel Wilson resigned his commission late in the spring of 
1864, and was succeeded, in the colonelcy of the regiment, by 
Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel M. Pollock of Dubuque. 



COLONEL SAMUEL W. SUMMERS. 

SEVENTH CAVALRY. 

Samuel W. Summers is a Virj:^inian, and the only native 
of that State who has held a colonel's commission from Iowa. 
He was born in the year 1820. In about the year 1842, he came 
West and settled in Van Buren county, Iowa, where he began 
the practice of law. A few years later, he removed to Ottum- 
wa, Wapello county, where he continued his law practice, and 
where he still resides. 

In Colonel Summers' experiences may be seen the difficulties 

and discouragements under which a young attorney labored, 

in the early history of Southern Iowa. Fees were small, and 

credit was small. Law cases were scarce, and money still 

more so. Indeed, at that day things were done on a small 

scale in this Western Country. If I allude to a few items of a 

personal character, the colonel will excuse me; for they will 

certainly do him no discredit. For three or four years after 

coming to Ottumwa, he looked poor, lived poor, and was poor, 

A five-dollar fee in those days was enormous, and to get it all 

at once, and in cash was extraordinary good fortune. He had 

little business and little money. I have been told by old 

resident-merchants that it was no uncommon thing for him to 

ask credit for the cheapest articles of merchandize. He was 

never refused ; for the first fee he received was sure to find its 

way into the pockets of his creditors. They say it was fully 

four years before he could keep his head above water long 

enough to take a long breath. But his perseverance and 

economy at last conquered, and, in 1858, he had acquired 

a respectable property. 

633 



634 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

Colonel Summers never held a public office. I think he 
never sought one. There was no money in it. He was always 
to be found in his office, and attending to his business. In 18G0 
he accepted the nomination for district judge of his district on 
the Bepublican ticket; but a few weeks later he withdrew his 
name from the canvass. He never commanded any thing but 
the business of his office, and the pockets of his clients, till he 
commanded his regiment. He was commissioned colonel of 
the 7th Iowa Cavalry the 8th of January, 1863, and on the 25th 
of July following, was mustered into the United States ser- 
vice. Like Colonels Wilson and Pollock of the Gth Iowa Cav- 
alry, Colonel Summers was stationed during his whole term on 
the Western Frontier. It might have been an arduous, but was 
not a very dangerous service; for his antagonists were "the 
red men of the forest" to fight and chase whom, some have 
regarded as amusement. There is, of course, nothing brilliant 
about his military record. He was in the service about two 
years, and the principal portion of that time had his head- 
quarters in Omaha, Nebraska Territory, where he slept on a 
downy bed, and ate at a bountiful board. He was mustered a 
citizen in the sjiring of 1865, in consequence, I am told, of his 
regiment being reduced below the minimum of a regimental 
organization. 

The 7th Iowa Cavalry, from the day it went on duty in 
Nebraska, till the time Colonel Summers left it, was broken up 
into detachments, and stationed at different points in the vast 
stretch of country lying between the Missouri River and the 
Rocky Mountains. But to give a detailed account of the 
movements made by the different detachments of the regiment, 
is impossible in the limited space to which I am confined. I 
can only allude to some of the most important ones. 

In February, 1864, the regiment was stationed as follows: 



SAMUEL, W. SUMMEES. 635 

Company A, Captain E. B. Murphy; Conapany D, Captain W. 
D. Fonts, and Company H, Captain D. S. Malven, were sta- 
tioned at Fort Kearney, under Major John S. Wood. Com- 
pany G, Captain E. Hammer; Company F, Captain J. S. 
Brewer, were stationed at Cottonwood Springs. Comi^any E, 
Captain J. B. David, at the Pawnee Indian Agency. Com- 
pany B, Captain John Wilcox, at Dacotah City, and Company 
C, Captain J. C. Mitchell, at Nebraska City. Companies I, K, 
L and ]M, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Pattee, were sta- 
tioned at Forts Randall and Sully, and at Sioux City. These 
last named companies were those which accompanied General 
Sully on his Indian expeditions up the Missouri Biver in the 
summer and fall of 1864. The heroes of Plum Creek and 
Julesburg belonged to the 1st and 2d Battalions of the regi- 
ment; but in neither of these affairs was there more than two 
hundred and fifty men engaged. 

Plum Creek is on the road from Fort Kearney to Denver, 
and some thirty miles west of the former place. It consisted 
of only some half-a-dozen dwellings or ranches at the time of 
which wo speak. When the place was attacked in the fall of 
186-4, Colonel Summers, with a small detachment of his regi- 
ment, was stationed at Fort Kearney, having a few weeks 
before relieved Major Wood of his regiment. Word was sent 
to the colonel of the approach of the Indians, accompanied with 
a request that he hurry to the relief of the place. He at once 
began making preparations to march; but one thing after 
another delayed, till nearly two hours had elapsed before his 
regiment was in the saddle. The weather was dry and exces- 
sively hot, and, to spare his horses, he moved with much 
leisure. Indeed, it is said ten hours were consumed in travel- 
ing the thirty miles. In the meantime the Indians had com- 
pleted their work and fled. Some of his officers, who had no 
care for government property, were clamorous to hasten the 



636 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

march, fearing that the Indians would be off before their arri- 
val; but the colonel was resolute, preferring to forego the 
prospect of glory, rather than run down and ruin his horses. 
One of his officers in particular, Captain Edward B. Murjihy of 
Company A, was so restive that the colonel had to threaten to 
put him under arrest before he could be restrained ; but this 
same captain, Colonel Summers has since said, was one of the 
best officers of his regiment. 

The colonel was more fortunate at Julesburg ; for there the 
Indians came within striking distance, and lost by their rash- 
ness one of their boasted chiefs. Julesburg is situated in the 
extreme north-east corner of Colorado Territory. It is four 
hundred miles west from Omaha, and two hundred east from 
Denver, and is on the main thoroughfare from the Missouri 
River to California. 

At the time the attack was made on Julesburg, Colonel Sum- 
mers, with Major O'Brien and Captain Murphy of his regiment, 
chanced to be at Fort Rankin, near that place. On the eve- 
ning before the attack, a stage-driver, or teamster, came in and 
reported that the Indians were in the neighborhood, and had 
fired on a train, then approaching from the west ; but the man 
was known to be unworthy of belief, and little attention was 
paid to his story. The next morning, however, the Indians 
made their appearance on the prairie, and Colonel Summers 
collected and mounted his men to give them battle. Including 
the commands of Major O'Brien and Captain Murphy, he did 
not have more than one hundred men ; and the Indians did 
not number less than five hundred ; but they were concealed 
behind some of the small hills that abound in that region, and 
he could not learn their strength. He accordingly rode boldly 
out to fight them, and moved in three detachments: Major 
O'Brien was on the right. Captain Murphy in the centre, while 
he held the left. 



SAMUEL W. SUMMERS. 637 

Immediately on coming among the hills of which I have 
spoken, he found himself confronted by a superior force; but 
he opened the fight with great vigor. It had not progressed 
long, however, before, looking to the right, he saw that 
Major O'Brien was nearly surrounded, and the major, instead 
of falling back was endeavoring to fight the Indians off. 
The colonel at once sent word to him and to Captain INIurphy 
to fall back to the fort. But in the meantime the Indians 
had moved so far round to his own right and rear that, should 
he attempt to reach the fort, he would probably be captured; 
and he therefore, with a few of his men, made his escape to 
a ranch only a few miles away. The Indians pursued Major 
O'Brien and Captain Murphy to the fort, and a severe fight 
ensued for its possession ; but they were finally beaten off. 
It was through the courage of these officers only that the 
place was saved from capture. Julesburg was then sacked, 
after which, the Indians left. The next day, Colonel Sum- 
mers went upon the field, and, finding the dead body of an 
Indian chief, who had fallen by his own hands, stripped him 
of his toggeries. I understand that he brought them to his 
home as trophies, but have never had the pleasure of seeing 
them. 

The loss of the 7th Iowa Cavalry at Julesburg was about 
fifteen; and all who were wounded and left upon the field 
were murdered, and their bodies most shockingly mutilated. 
Sergeant Alanson Hanchet, a brave and powerful man, after 
killing seven Indians, was shot from his horse and left upon 
the field. When the fight was over, the inhuman wretches 
beat a hole in his head, and, filling it with powder, blew it to 
atoms: they afterwards chopped his body into inches. Nearly 
all the wounded had their legs and arms severed. 
Soon after this affair, Colonel Summers started for Omaha; 



638 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

but before leaving, the citizens of Julesburg assembled and 
passed resolutions, thanking him for his defense of the place. 
They were grateful testimonials, and have been published in 
several of the papers of Southern Iowa. 

I have been told that many of the officers of the 7th Cavalry 
have made frequent complaint because they were kept on duty 
in the Indian country. Had this regiment served at the front, 
there is no doubt it would have made a record, equal to that of 
any other Iowa Cavalry regiment. 

Colonel Summers is a slender, spare man, of great activity, 
and weighing about one hundred and forty i)Ounds. He does 
not have the appearance of vigorous health ; and yet, he is one 
of the hardiest men of my actpiaintance. I have never known 
hira to be sick. Pie has a small, restless, black eye, sunk well 
in his head, and wearing, at will, a most unfriendly leer. You 
would know, to look at him, that he was a sharp, shrewtl man. 
He is sociable and agreeable, and would be generous and lib- 
eral, if he loved money less. "Keep what you get," is his 
motto. He will do any thing to accommodate a friend, except 
to disembowel his wallet, or i)ut his property in ixtH, by 
attaching his name to a note or recognizance. 

The colonel is very common in his manners and dress, and 
temperate and economical in his habits. 



COLONEL JOSEPH B. DORR. 

EIGHTH CAVALRY. 

The late Colonel Joseph B. Dork was a native of Erie 
county, New York, where he was born the 6th day of August, 
1825. He was educated at the common schools of Erie county, 
where he continued to reside till the year 1847. In the fall of 
that year he came West, and settled in Jackson county, Iowa, 
and, in the year following, became the editor and proprietor of 
the " Jackson County Democrat." That paper he continued to 
edit and publish till the year 1849, when he established the 
"Western Democrat and Common School Journal," the first 
educational journal published in the State of Iowa. 

After a residence of nearly five years in Jackson county, Mr. 
Dorr removed to the city of Dubuque, where he soon after 
became an associate editor of the "Dubuque Herald." In 
1855, he became sole proprietor of the "Herald," which he 
continued to publish till May, 1861. In justice to the colonel I 
should state that, his editorial connection with that paper 
ceased at the close of the Presidential Campaign of 1860. 
Though always a member of the Democratic party, he was 
never of the peace persuasion. From the beginning of our 
present troubles, he was an earnest war man. 

In the summer of 1861, Colonel Dorr assisted in raising the 
12th Iowa Infantry, and on its organization, was made quarter- 
master of that regiment. To an honest man, the position of 
regimental quarter-master is the least desirable of all. Its 
duties are difficult and arduous, and such as to render the offi- 
cer extremely unpopular. With the common soldiers, to be a 

quarter-master is almost synonymous with being a rascal. I 

639 



640 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

believe that Quarter-Master Dorr discharged the duties of his 
ofl&ce honestly and faithfully. He was eertainly popular with 
his regiment. At Shiloh he distinguished himself. Volun- 
tarily w. iving all claims to personal security, which are usually 
considered as attaching to the office of quarter-master, he acted 
as aide to Colonel "Woods on the field, and was with his regiment 
taken prisoner. His services were appreciated by Colonel 
Woods, for in his oflicial report he says : 

"Quarter-Master Dorr, though his position did not require 
him to go into action, volunteered to do so, and, throughout 
the day, behaved in a brave and giUlant manner, daringly if not 
recklessly exposing his person to the enemy. He made him- 
self very useful in carrying messages, and in spying out the 
positions and movements of the enemy, and firing on them as 
occasion offered." 

Colonel Dorr was commissioned colonel of the Sth Iowa Cav- 
alry the 14th of April, 18G3 ; but was not mustered to that rank 
till the 30th of the following September. He served in the 
field with his regiment, being a considerable portion of the 
time in command of a brigade, till the spring of ISGo. He 
died of disease at Macon, Georgia, on the Sth of May, 1 S(i.'). He 
was a most excellent citizen, and a splendid soldier. 

The Sth Iowa Cavalry was rendezvoused and org-anized at 
Camp llcndcrshott, Davenport, Iowa; was nuistered into the 
United States service on the 30th of September, 1SG3; and a 
few days later was ordered to report to ( Jeneral llosirrans, at 
Chattanooga. The ri'giment left Iowa on the 17(h of ( )it<)ber 
for Louisville, where it arrived on the lilst instant. 

On the 17th of N()Vi'ml)er it had reached NashvilU"; but 
Thomas hail in (lie meantime succeeded Kosecrans, and th(> 
regiment was onh-red to rejtort to (ieneral A. ('. (lillem, who 
Htationed it as follows: —'I'he 1st Hattalion and regimental 
hcad-ijiiarters were at Wuvcrly; the .".d llattalion forty-iiiia- 



JOSEPH B. DORR. 641 

miles west of Nashville, and the 2d Battalion some thirty 
miles west of Nashville. The different battalions served at 
these stations until the spring of 1864, doing patrol- and guard- 
duty. During this time, no opportunity for distinction offered ; 
but, to show that the duties of the regiment were arduous, it 
need only be stated that the portion of Tennessee, where it 
served was intensely disloyal, and infested with guerrillas. 

"One expedition was made during December, 1863, which 
deserves notice as an opening incident in the history of a new 
regiment. On the 20th, Lieutenant Wilbur F. McCanon, 
Company G, with forty men, crossed Duck River during a 
violent storm of wind and rain, and under most disadvanta- 
geous circumstances, the stream being swollen out of its banks 
and running at a furious rate. The crossing was not efiPected 
till after dark; but, without halting, he pushed out over the 
low lands, already running with torrents from the overflowing 
river, and, traversing a thickly-wooded country a distance of 
fourteen miles, reached the rendezvous of a portion of Haw- 
kins' men, and captured Captain Nance, one lieutenant, and 
twelve men with their horses and arms. I had expected that 
Colonel Hawkins and his staff with twenty-five or thirty of 
his best men would be found there, but he had been too careful 
of his life and liberty to trust himself within twenty miles of 
the post for quarters. The party returned across the river by 
day-light the next morning. Lieutenant McCanon is entitled 
to much credit for his perseverance under difficulties." 

In February, 1864, the rebel Roddy made his appearance in 
Southern Tennessee, with a force estimated at four thousand 
men, with two full batteries. He came as far north as Pulaski 
and attacked that place, but wslh repulsed. Word was sent by 
General Rosseau, commanding at Nashville, to Colonel Dorr 
at Waverly, of the fact, with instructions to scout the country 
south, and develop the intentions of the enemy. Captain 
Burns with his company was, accordingly, dispatched to Cen- 
treville, nearly forty miles distant ; but on arriving there the 
captain learned that Roddy had retired across the Tennessee. 



642 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

His expedition however was not fruitless ; for on the return he 
got word of a rebel recruiting party on its way to Western 
Kentucky, and made pursuit. The chief of the party, which 
was overtaken and captured, proved to be Lieutenant-Colonel 
Brewer, of Forest's command. The colonel made a show of 
fight, and would not surrender till quite severely wounded. 
With him, were captured important dispatches. 

Captains Evans, Root, Cummings, and Shurtz, of the 8th 
Iowa Cavalry, are especially mentioned for their success in 
hunting down scouting parties of the enemy while stationed in 
the vicinity of the Nashville and North Western Railroad. 
The following is a summary of the labors of the regiment, 
before leaving for Chattanooga to join in the Atlanta Cam- 
paign. 

"The whole number of prisoners taken by the regiment, up 
to the 12th of March, 1864, was between four and five hundred. 
Over one thousand deserters from the rebel service came in and 
took the oath of allegiance at the different posts of the regi- 
ment, and more than seven thousand dollars in bonds were 
taken from disloyal persons, to give no aid nor comfort to the 
rebellion, and to assist in putting it down." 

After refitting at Nashville, the 8th Iowa Cavalry proceeded 
to Chattanooga, where it arrived on the 10th of April. It was 
ordered to report immediately at Cleveland, where it was 
assigned to the 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, commanded 
by General E. M. McOook. With this command, it led the 
advance on Atlanta, and made its brilliant record. Colonel 
Dorr commanded the brigade, and Lieutenant-Colonel Earner, 
for a time, commanded the regiment. The brigade was com- 
posed of the 1st Tennessee, 2d Michigan, and 8th Iowa Cavalry 
regiments. To give a full account of the operations of the 8th 
Iowa, from the 3d day of May, 1864, the time when, with its 
division, it first moved against the enemy near Dalton, till the 



JOSEPH B. DOEPv. 643 

march on Jonesboro late in the following August, which neces- 
sitated the evacuation of Atlanta, is impossible. I will quote 
briefly from the history of the regiment relating to the early 
part of the campaign, to show the nature of its services. 

" On the 3d of May, the regiment moved with the division 
on Red Clay, by the Dalton road. On the 4th, the 8th was 
posted so as to cover the road to the east, supported by and 
supporting the 2d Michigan, on the Dalton road. On the 5th, 
sent out a reconnoitering party from the 8th, under command 
of Major Price, and found the enemy about four miles off on 
the Dalton road. On the 6th, sent detachments from the 8th 
and other regiments to scour the roads to our left. On the 7th, 
the brigade, the 8th Iowa Cavalry in advance, moved down 
the Dalton road, and, turning to the right, drove the enemy 
out of Varnel's Station, which we occupied. Skirmishing con- 
tinued all day with a considerable force, which made its 
appearance on the high land to the left of the railroad. About 
four P. M., received orders to move so as to cover cross-roads, 
two miles west of the station, and had just commenced the 
movement, when the enemy opened upon us with shell, 
wounding a few men, and killing a few horses. On the 9th of 
May, moved to a point on the railroad three miles south of 
Varnel's Station, the 2d Brigade being upon our left. The 8th 
took post across the railroad, the left of the regiment resting 
on the ridge east of the railroad, one battalion being held in 
reserve. The 2d Michigan was on the left of the 8th, and the 
1st Tennessee on the right. In this manner, about ten A. M., 
the brigade advanced on the enemy posted on the ridges, and 
drove him back some three miles. The 8th having the advance 
on the railroad encountered more opposition, but gallantly 
pushed the enemy before them at all points, including his tem- 
porary works on the ridge east of the railroad, which were 
captured by Company E. Corporals Pease and Sharp particu- 
larly distinguished themselves, and received promotion for it." 

An instance occurred at Varnel's Station, which illustrates 
the courage and gallantry of Colonel Dorr. The enemy were 
posted in the edge of timber, and along a ridge which could 
only be reached by passing up through a steep, open field, 



644 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

covered by the musketry and artillery of the enemy. The 
strength of the enemy was unknown, as was also the fact that 
they had artillery. Colonel Dorr, who was in command of his 
brigade, and who wished to develope the strength of the 
enemy, selected a company from his regiment (I think com- 
pany E) and, placing himself at its head, charged up the 
ascent nearly to the enemy's works. He was of course met by 
a withering fire and compelled to retire precipitately. He 
gained his former position, with the loss of only one man 
wounded ; but, had not the fire of the enemy been as high as 
it was, hardly a man of the party could have escaped. 

On the 13th of May, the 8th Iowa Cavalry, with its division, 
marched against the enemy at Ray's Gap, six miles west of 
Tunnel Hill ; but before the command came up the enemy fled, 
abandoning their strong works. The 8th arrived on the rocky 
hights only in time to see Johnson fleeing from Dalton, and 
Sherman sweeping through the place in pursuit. 

The 8th Iowa led the advance over the Conasauga Biver, 
near Resaca, and also over the Coosawattie, where Colonel Crit- 
tenden feared to venture with a whole cavalry brigade. On 
the 19th instant, near Cassville, the regiment, with its division, 
run on the flank of the whole rebel army. General Stoneman 
coming up with his cavalry command soon after, an attack 
was planned and made, which resulted in forcing the enemy 
back near the town. Majors Price and Root, Captain Hoxie 
and Lieutenant McCanon are specially mentioned for gallantry 
in this affair. On the 24th instant, McCook came on Jackson's 
division of rebel cavalry at Burnt Hickory, and, during that 
afternoon. Captain Walden of the 8th distinguished himself by 
charging and routing a portion of the enemy from a strong 
position. At Burnt Church, Lieutenant Anderson of the 8th 
distinguished himself. 



JOSEPH B. DORR. 645 

On the 5th of July, General McCook shifted his division 
from the right to the left of Sherman's Army, and, pushing 
on to the Chattahoochie, continued to hold different fords till 
the 17th instant. The next day a portion of the 8th Iowa 
crossed the river: it was the first cavalry on the Atlanta side 
of the Chattahoochie. But, where the 8th Iowa Cavalry most 
distinguished itself during the Atlanta Campaign, was on the 
disastrous raid to cut the Atlanta and Macon Railroad near 
Lovejoy's Station, Georgia. The object of the raid was success- 
fully accomplished, but at a great sacrifice. 

General McCook left his camp below Vinings' Station on the 
Chattahoochie, about noon of the 26th of July, for the rear of 
Atlanta. Moving down the west side of the river all that 
afternoon and the following night, he crossed to the east side 
by the Riverton Ferry, and marched south-east for Lovejoy's 
Station. On the route, he passed through Palmetto, on the 
Atlanta and West Point Railroad, and Fayetteville, and struck 
the Atlanta and Macon Railroad, about noon of the 29th 
instant. He had met opposition at only one place on the 
march. At Palmetto, six hundred of the enemy confronted 
him; but they were instantly driven off, and the depot build- 
ings burned. Near Fayetteville, a large rebel train was 
captured, with several prisoners. Instantly after reaching the 
Macon road, the work of destruction begun. In two hour's 
time, nearly two miles of the road were torn up and burned; 
the telegraph wire was cut down; the water-tank and wood- 
shed were burned, and also a number of platform and box cars, 
standing on the track. General McCook started on the return, 
about two o'clock in the afternoon; but the history of this 
portion of the expedition I shall give in the language of 

Colonel Dorr. 

"The 1st Brigade was in the rear, in the retrograde move- 
ment. About one mile west of Lovejoy's Station, Jackson's 



646 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

Division of rebel cavalry were found on our road, and between 
us and the 2d Brigade. Almost at the same moment, I 
received orders from Colonel Croxton, commanding the bri- 
gade, to move forward and attack the enemy. Tlie regiment 
moved up at a trot, and soon came up with the brigade com- 
mander, who ordered me to charge the enemy. I advanced at 
a fost trot until within striking distance, when I ordered the 
charge, an^Ji the regiment, right in front in column, dashed for- 
ward gallantly on the enemy. The rebels were in column in 
the road, and in line on the right and left of the road. Their 
front line gave back rapidly under this headlong charge ; but 
those in the rear and on the left of the road poured in a most 
deadly fire, before which the head of the column went down 
like grass before the scythe. That portion of the enemy's force 
on the left of the road had been nwstly concealed from me by 
the nature of the ground. I saw, just as the head of the col- 
umn struck the enemy, that this portion of their force must be 
routed, or the column in the road would be exposed to a flank 
as well as a front fire. Instantly, I ordered the companies in 
rear of the 1st Battalion into the field on the left of the road, 
for the purpose of charging that portion of the enemy's line ; 
but at this critical moment I discovered that they had not 
come up, having been ordered by Colonel Croxton, as they 
were following the 1st Battalion, to turn off" the road and form 
in a field to the left. I had but two hundred and ninety-two 
men with me on the raid, and, by this order, I was, without 
notice, left with only about one hundred men to charge an 
entire brigade, and that the best brigade in the rebel service, 
being composed of the 3d, 6th, and 9th Texas. Indeed, it has 
never been certainly ascertained that Jackson's whole division 
was not in the field : a battle-flag, believed to be his, was seen 
on the left of the road, and nearly reached by my men. * * " 

In the fighting at this point, during which Colonel Dorr was 
compelled to withdraw, the 8th lost, among the killed, Lieu- 
tenant James Horton, acting adjutant, and Lieutenant J. H. 
Cabb. "Both were as gallant young officers as ever drew a 
sabre." The regiment then withdrew in the direction of New- 
nan. 

"During the night following, we continued the march 



JOSEPH B. DORR. 



647 



through swamps and over most difficult roads, portions of the 
regimmt, under command of Major Isett and Root, operating 
on the flanks and rear. About noon of the 30th, the head of 
the column entered Newnan, when it unexpectedly came upon 
Roddy's dismounted cavalry on their way to Atlanta. This 
force,"^in addition to Wheeler's which came up soon after, gave 
the enemy fully eight thousand men, and enabled them to 
force back the Federal column, and occupy the road in front. 
The 2d Brigade was in the front, followed by the Ist, Colonel 
Harrison's Brigade being in the rear. Both the 2d Brigade 
and Harrison's were slightly engaged. The 8th was ordered 
to dismount in the road, where the command was halted, and or- 
dered to throw up barricades, which was done. We remained 
in this position for sometime without hearing any thing of the 
enemy. While absent a few hundred yards from the regiment 
on account of a wound received at Lovejoy's Station on the 
29th, I received orders to move forward, and requested Captain 
Sutherland, adjutant-general, who brought me the order, to 
^ive to Major Root, .who was with the regiment. In a few 
moments I came up and found the regiment had made a 
charge, one portion under Major Root, and the other under 
Major Isett. The enemy gave way in confusion, and Major 
Isett captured a large number of horses of Ross' Brigade. 
General Hume, commanding a brigade, was captured by Lieu- 
tenant George M. Detwiler, but was re-captured by the enemy, 
too-ether with the gallant officer by whom he had been taken. 

"The 8th had cleared the way. Captain Walden reported 
this to me just as I came up, and it was also reported to the 
brio-ade commander; and had the whole division then moved 
forward, we should have been able to hold the road. But the 
enemy so largely outnumbered that portion of the expedition- 
ary forces engaged that they soon rallied and again occupied 
the road ***** It was five o'clock when General 
McCook determined to abandon his artillery, ambulances and 
wounded. The artillery-carriages were cut down, and the 
pieces spiked and heavily loaded with percussion or shell. 

u About this time. Colonel Croxton, commanding the brig- 
ade was reported missing, when I received orders to take 
command of the brigade. Major Root having been missing 
since the first charge, I directed Major Isett to take command 



648 IOWA COLONELS AND REGIMENTS. 

Id thif irl; """ ""^ ' '""" '^"""^ '™"> captain Suther- 
Ut the 8tli Iowa, there was not far from one hundred men 
Which was, indeed, all that was left of the 1st Bri Je and of 
these several were wonnded, and many of them ,^ttout an„f 
having lost them in the fight. After abandoning the a" iMer, 

to take a by-path through the woods, which entered the La 
Grange road some little distance from the battle-fleld Just ^ 
hheadotheeolumnwasenteringthe forest. Genera Mccook 

ren ^^. . , ^ '"" ''"'* ^'''"'^ ""<* <='>«='^ "'^ »emy. I 

replietl, 'I can.' He then ordered me to do so, saying- 'This 
retreat must be protected.' I at once directed M^jor Isett to 
form the regiment on the ground indicated, which was in pLn 
sight of the enemy, who were then seen advancing. In this 
position we were obliged to remain, seeing the enemy move 
toward our flank, until the fragments of regiments, the sX! 
glers and skulkers, who filled the road overlhich he co unfn 
had moved, got out of the way. Every minute's delay iTnew 
e&enecl our chances of escape; but there was no help for it and 
the regiment, with a few exceptions, did their duty ^llaX 
and «ilmly awaited orders. General McCook with the main 
^lumn was heard sharply engaged, as he successfully L^m: 

The rest is soon told. Seeing that the enemy did not intend 
to attack him in the position he then held, but that their object 
was to cut him off and capture him. Colonel Dorr mounted his 
command and continued the retreat. He first endeavored to 
escape through timber to the left, but, finding that impractica- 
ble, turned and hurried on after the retreating column. The 
road led through heavy timber, and he had scarcely entered it 
When he met the 4th Tennessee, returning at full run, with the 
alarming story that they were cut ofl-. It ^vas impossible to 
pass these frightened men in the narrow road, and the colonel 
turned back to let them through, after which, he dashed down 
the road, determined to cut his way out; but in the meantime 



JOSEPH B. DOER. 649 

a whole rebel brigade had gained his immediate front, making 
escape impossible. Some few of the regiment, striking out by 
themselves, finally reached the Federal lines. All others were 
made prisoners. 

In speaking of the conduct of his regiment. Colonel Dorr 
said: "In the engagement, which was of the severest char- 
acter, the men and officers of the 8th behaved with a gallantry 
and steadiness, which drew from General McCook a public 
compliment on the battle-field. As on the day before, there 
were but few exceptions to this, while there were many 
instances of great gallantry displayed." And then follow the 
names of Major Isett, Captain Morhiser, Captain, now Major 
Shurtz, Captains Moore and Doane, Lieutenants Moreland, 
McCanon, Loomis, Belfleld, Bennett, Pritchard, Anderson, 
Morrow, Ogle, Detwiler, and Haight. He also adds a long list 
of non-commissioned officers and privates. Lieutenant John B. 
Loomis and Sergeant William Mitchell were among the killed; 
and Captain, now IVIajor Shurtz, Lieutenant J. T. Haight and 
Sergeants William PuUiam, (who afterward died) and T. M. 
Thomas were among the wounded. 

Colonel Dorr was retained a prisoner of war till the following 
Fall, and was then exchanged. He re-joined his regiment the 
7th of November, 1864, while it was stationed at Florence, 
Alabama, and a few days before General Hood crossed the 
Tennessee, and marched on Nashville. He commanded his 
regiment in the engagements round Nashville, and in the 
pursuit of the flying enemy; and, finally joined General 
Wilson in his brilliant raid through Alabama and Georgia. 
That was his last march ; for, as already stated, he died while 
in camp with his regiment, near Macon. 

The only time I ever saw Colonel Dorr was in the summer 
of 1863, when he was traveling through the State on business 



650 IOWA COLONELS AND EEGIMENTS. 

relative to his regiment, then being recruited. He was, at the 
time, in company with an old Democratic friend, who, like 
himself, was an earnest war man. In the course of conversa- 
tion his friend suggested—" Why don't you go and talk with 

Mr ?" (also a former party friend, but then, antibelliger- 

enf.) " I'll tell you," he replied, " there is no use in talking to 
him, till you whip out his friends." 

Colonel Dorr was a man of about five feet eleven inches in 
hight, and had, when I saw him, a stocky and vigorous 
frame. The expression of his face, which was deeply bronzed 
by exposure, was frank and manly. I judged him to be a man 
of great energy, and of much practical ability. As a citizen, 
he was held in the highest esteem ; and his death was deeply 
mourned in Dubuque. His "kindness of heart," says the 
" Times " " hardly knew bounds ; and appeals from needy ones 
were never disregarded by him. Those who were most 
intimate with him, and understood his motives, loved and 
admired him most. The feeling among the Union men in 
this city over the news of his death is that of sincere grief. 
He leaves a wife and several children, for whom there is felt 
a deep sympathy." 

I have already said he was an excellent soldier. He was 
brave to rashness, and his love for his men was unbounded. 
The following is from a communication, sent by him to the 
Adjutant-General of Iowa : 

"I take the greater pleasure in incorporating their names in 
this report, because the enlisted soldier, whose gallantry wins 
promotion for his commanding officer, rarely reaps any other 
reward than the consciousness of having done his duty. He 
bleeds and dies for his country ; he wins her battles, and 
crowns her standard with glory. At last, he occupies six feet 
by two of his native soil, or that of a foreign land, and leaves 
no void behind, except in the hearts of those who called him 
father, son or brother." 



COLONEL MATTHEW M. TRUMBULL. 

NINTH CAVALRY. 

Matthew M. Trumbull is an Englishman, and about 
thirty-eight years of age. Of the date of his immigration to 
the United States, as, indeed, of all his early history, I am 
ignorant. 

Colonel Trumbull entered the service in the spring of 1861, 
as captain of Company I, 3d Iowa Infantry, and served with 
that regiment with distinction till November, 1862, having in 
the meantime been promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel. 
The history of his military services while connected with the 
above named regiment will be found in the sketch of Colonel 
Wilson G. Williams. 

After resigning his commission in the 3d Iowa, the colonel 
returned to his home in Clarksville, Iowa, and soon after 
received an appointment in the adjutant-general's office. He 
was commissioned colonel of the 9th Iowa Cavalry in the fall 
of 1863, and in the following Winter accompanied it to the 
field. 

There is little of general interest connected with the history 
of the 9th Iowa Cavalry. Its field of service has been confined 
to Arkansas, the head-quarters of the regiment having been 
maintained a chief portion of the time at Brownsville, mid- 
way between Duvall's Bluff and Little Rock. Its most active 
and laborious service was performed while General Steele was 
in a state of siege at Little Bock. During this time, it engaged 
the enemy in frequent skirmishes, but none of them were of 
much importance. 

651 



APPENDIX. 



Samuel M. Pollock, second colonel, 6tli Cavalry is a 
native of Ohio: age, thirty-five. ' 

Herman H. Heath, second colonel, 7th Cavalry, is a native 
of New York: age, forty-two. 

Hugh J. Campbell, second colonel, 18th Infantry, is a 
native of Pennsylvania: age, thirty-three. 

John Q. Wilds, second colonel, 24th Infantry, (mortally 
wounded at Cedar Creek, Virginia) is a native of Pennsyl- 
vania: age, forty. 

GusTAVus A. Eberhart, second colonel, 32d Infantry, is a 
native of Pennsylvania: age twenty-nine. 



IOWA COLONELS OF THE ONE-HUNDRED-DAYS' SERVICE. 

Stephen H. Henderson, 44th Iowa Infantry, is a native 
of Tennessee: age, thirty-six. 

Alvah H. Bereman, 45th Iowa Infantry, is a native of 
Kentucky: age, thirty-six. 

David B. Henderson, 46th Iowa Infantry, is a native of 
Scotland: age, twenty-six. 

James P. Sanford, 47th Iowa Infantry, is a native of New 
York: age, thirty-two. 

652 



INDEX 



IOWA COLONELS. 

453 

Abbott, Charles H 553 

Anderson, Daniel ' 

16 

Baker, Nathaniel B gg 

Baker, James 22 

Bates, John F g^ 

Brown, Aaron Igg 

Banbury, Jabez 289 

Belknap, William W ^ 291 

Byam, Eber C "" 445 

Benton, Thomas H j,83 

Bussey, Cyrus 652 

Bereman, Alvah H 

Curtis, Samuel B I53 

Corse, John M 207 

Oarsakaddon, David 255 

Crocker, Marcellus M 303 

Chambers, Alexander 851 

Orabb, Benjamin 433 

ConneU, John 608 

Clark, George W 625 

Cummlngs, Henry J. B 5^7 

Coon, Datus E 59I 

Caldwell, Henry C 652 

Campbell, Hugh J ^^^ 

Dodge, Grenville M 361 

Dye, William McE 38I 

Dewey, William ■■■" 639 

Dorr, Joseph B ^ 

> Edwards, John 565 

Elliott Washington L 652 

Eberhart, Gustavus A ^^^ 

Geddes, James L 375 

Graliam, Harvey " 339 

Glasgow, Samuel L 421 

Gilbert, James I 533 

Garrett, John A 527 

(Sower, James ^^ 

Howard, Noel B 201 

Herron, Francis J 227 

Henderson, Paris P 2S5 

Hare, Abraham M ggg 



^^* INDEX. 

Hall, William 

Hedrick, John M 337 

Hillis, David B 295 

Hill. Samuel G ...."."'"!!!...!..! ^^^ 

Hughes, D. Henry ^^9 

Hatch, Edward ............" ^^^ 

Heath, Herman H ^^^ 

Henderson, Stephen H ^^'^ 

Henderson, David B ^^^ 

652 

Kinsman, William U 

Kittredge, Charles W ^^^ 

Kincaid, George W ^^3 

521 

Lauman, Jacob G 

Lowe, William W ^^^ 

MUls, Noah W ^^^ 

Matthies, Charles L ^^ 

McDowell, John A ^'^^ 

Merrill, Samuel " ' ' ^^^ 

Miller, WiUiam E ^^"^ 

Mackey, Cyrus H " ^29 

497 

Noble, John W 

597 

Perczell, Nicholas 

Porter, Asbury B 215 

Pollock, Samuel M '^'^'^ 

652 

Eeid, Hugh T 

Rankin, John W ..''"'_ 231 

Kice, Elliott W ^'3 

Rice, Samuel A ^^^ 

4ST 

Stone, William M 

Steele, Frederick "^ 

Smith, Milo '"' ^^^ 

Smyth, William .3.'". ^^^ 

Stone, George A .1....... ^^'^ 

Small, William E !....."!"".! '^^'^ 

Shaw, William T ^^^ 

Shano, John 271 

Summers, Samuel W ^'^^ 

Scott, John ". *^^^ 

Sanford, James P .... '*"^ 

662 

Tuttle, James M 

Torrence, William M. G ^^ 

Thompson, William '**'^ 

Trumbull, Matthew M ^^^ 

651 

Vandever, William 

195 

Weaver, James B 

Williams, Nelson G ^^ 

Williamson, James A ^ 

Worthington, William H. ^^' 

Woods, Joseph J ^^ 

243 



INDEX. 655 

Wever, Clark K 881 

Warren, Fitz Henry 551 

Wlnslow, Edward F 609 

Wilson, David S 631 

Wilds, John Q 652 



BATTLES AND SKIRMISHES. 

Atlanta 79, 107, 121, 208, 240, 291, SOT 

Alatoona 157,531 

Arkansas Post 180, 407, 415, 454, 502 

Big Black River Bridge 12,872,385 

Big Blue ^ 47, GOl 

Blue Mills 9, S7 

Belmont 163, 171 

Bentonville 1^1 

Bayou Metoe 555 

Boonville 566 

Corinth 60, 68, 93, 135, 173, 189, 216, 238, 253, 290, 296, 306, 315 

Chickasaw Bayou 119. 180, 407 



Chattanooga.. 



136 



Champion's Hill 136, 140, 261, 328, 434 

Camden 182 

Columbia 213, 269, 41.3, 471 

Cedar Creek 379,403 

Cherokee 409,464 

Canton 537 

Columbus 605, 619 

Cumberland Iron Works 623 

Dallas ^60,174 

Duvall's Bluff. 4:30 

Elkin's Ford 1S2, 449, 515 

Ebenezer Church 605 

Fort Donelson 52, 59, 67, 24.5, 272, 623 

Fort Hill 832 

Foi-t De Russey > 424 

Fort Morgan ^05 

Fisher'sHiU 379,443 

Farmington • ^67 

598, 613 



Guntown 

Hartsville 

Hager's Woods 

Helena 

Haine's Bluff < 

luka 

Island No. 10 

Jonesboro v 

Jackson 1M,154, 



45, 36S, 544 
85 



446,489 



610 

133, 804, 817 



168. 259. 



S56 INDEX. 

Jenkin'8 Ferry 183, 450, 491, 498, 536 

Julesburg 636 

Kenesaw Mountain 121, 160, 239 

Little Blue 47 

Lookout Mountain 121,410 

Little Kock 181, 447, 594 

Little Oongaree 213, 470 

Little Harpeth 580 

Loughridge's Mills 622 

Matamora 99,166 

Mission Ridge 148, 157, 230, 836 

Moscow 847 

Milliken's Bend 391 

Mark's Mills 516 

Moro Bottom 562 

Newtonia 47 

New Hope Church 121 

Nick-a-jack Creek 299 

Nashville 508,678,649 

Osage 47, 616 

Oostanaula River 174 

Opequan, [Winchester] 877, 401, 443 

Port Gibson 10, 371, 432 

Parker's Cross Roads 526 

Prairie Grove 45, 202, 853, 361 

Pea Ridge 88, 112, 117, 196, 584 

Prairie de Anne 182, 449 

Pleasant Hill 275, 427, 480 

Poisoned Springs 348 

Pittman's Ferry 882 

Palo Alto 578 

Resaca 121,160,389 

Ringgold 411 

Rutherford Creek 581 

Springfield 45,345 

ShUoh 9, 57, 67, 76, 93, 150, 186, 285, 248, 256, 273, 282 

Savannah 121, 177 

Spanish Fort 191, 395 

Sterling Farm 355, 364 

Sabine Cross Roads 440 

Six-Mile Creek 605, 618 

Sehna 605, 618 

Tupelo 250, 599 

Tilton 387 

Yicksburg 12, 103, 190, 207, 225, 355, 455 

Wilson's Creek „ 28, 148, 202 

Westport 47 

Yazoo Pass 222, 324, 514 






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